


As Time Passes By

by Bento



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2018-04-11 04:04:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4420628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bento/pseuds/Bento
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been seven years since the great war ended. Hermione and Ginny have moved in different directions. Ginny is a big quidditch star, working hard to maintain a great team, as well as ignoring Hermione as best as she can. Hermione, on the other hand, is depressed, semi-alcoholic and working in a bar to make the ends meet. She has pretty much given up on life.<br/>But a misunderstanding is all it takes for them to meet again. Can they fix what is broken? Or are they just too broken to to be repaired?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Fresh Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I have made the decision to move this fic from ff.net to here for personal reasons.  
> So in reality this isn't really a new story, but rather a 3 year old one that needed revival. I have done my best to correct any grammatical error from the old text, but it's nowhere near perfect.  
> As this is an old story, there won't be much changes to the story itself, however, if there is anything you think I could do better, I'll be happy to look into it and see what I can do.
> 
> Kudos and Comments will be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Bento out.

I was walking through the streets of London. The weather was terrible with the cold wind and rain. I pulled my jacket closer around myself, seriously considering to throw a weather spell. I quickly shook my head and threw that idea away. First of all, the muggles would definitely notice, it was late September, of course they would notice if the sun suddenly came and started to shine bright. Second of all, for the past 6 and a half years, I hadn't done magic, not since the war.  
It's been almost 7 years since the last war ended. And everyone was happy when it was all over, for good. I was very happy about it too, I just didn't handle it very well.

_**\- flashback-** _

"Voldemort is dead! The war is finally over", McGonagall screamed.  
She looked like she was moments away from breaking in to some kind of a crazy dance of victory.  
It was like time stood still. Nobody could quite believe what they had just been through or what McGonagall was saying. Everyone shared the same thought, "could it really be over? Just like that? Could it be that easy?" The cheering broke loose for real when they saw Harry return. Once again Harry Potter was the hero who saved the world.

All of us who had minor injuries was lined up outside madam Pomfrey's office for a check, just to make sure we all were in one piece. The ones with more severe injuries had been sent to St. Mungo right away to be taken care of properly. In the chaos nobody had noticed that a red headed student had ran the opposite direction, away from everyone and everything. Nobody but Hermione Granger.  
Surly people would notice if one the "heroes of the day” were gone, but right now, all she could think of was to find that red headed girl.

Hermione ran towards the great hall, she was sure that the girl would be there, mourning over her older brother. Hermione was right. The moment she walked in to the great hall, she could hear silent sobbing, the sound was echoing through the entire hall, making it difficult to hear where the sound came from in the first place, so she just turned towards left where she knew the body of Fred Weasly was. There she was, hanging over his body, sobbing. Hermione walked slowly over to them, not quite sure if she should be there or not. She decided to walk over there and be a good friend and support her best friend. She was surprised that none of the other Weasly members was there. But of course, Ron and Bill had been sent off to St. Mungo. Why Ron had been sent off, she wasn't sure, but Harry was on his way there too, so maybe all three of them was supposed to go, and she could understand that, after all they had been through quite a lot the past year.  
Hermione sat down next to the red headed girl and put one arm around her. She wanted to pull her closer and just hold her there until everything was better.

Ginny Weasly, the sobbing red head, leaned closer to Hermione and sobbed louder. They sat like this for a while, not saying a word. Hermione continued to rub her hand up and down Ginny's back, soothing her. After a while Hermione spoke. "Don't worry Gin, everything is going to be just fine.. well, better, at least. I'm always here for you, I swear." All of a sudden, Ginny's sobbing stopped completely. She turned slowly towards Hermione. When she was looking in to Hermione’s face, she wasn't sure what would happen next. Hermione looked down in to Ginny's eyes. Hermione became scared, really scared. The anger in her eyes was something Hermione never had seen in her eyes. Hermione could easily imagine her head catch fire. But she couldn't understand why Ginny was so angry towards her.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"

"W-what?.."

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT. YOU AND STUPID HARRY AND THAT IDIOT OF A BROTHER I HAVE, RON! YOU BETTER GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME VERY SOON BEFORE I HEX YOUR BRAINS OUT!"

"Ginevra Molly Weasly! What the hell have I done wrong? I was just trying to be your friend since all of your family seems to have disappeared. Tell me what wrong I have done to you!"

Hermione held Ginny's wrists in an attempt to stop her from reaching for her wand and hex her with some scary curse. Ginny just glared at Hermione, breathing heavily from her anger. She looked like she was about to attack Hermione, not even bothering to get her wand. Hermione just looked at Ginny with confusion written all over her face. Ginny just smiled, but it wasn't her usual smile. This smile was terrifying, almost crazy. It looked like she had reached the edge and fallen over really bad, like she had gone completely crazy. She didn't fight against Hermione’s grip around her wrists, just took a small step towards her and spoke calmly and with a voice ice cold;

"All of this is your fault, all three of you. And if you have to ask what I'm talking about, you should be ashamed of yourself. Now let go of me, and never speak to me ever again, just get the hell out of my life".

Hermione just stared at the younger witch with a blank expression, not quite sure to believe her own ears.

"Don't say that. You don't mean it. I love you; you can't leave me" she begged, barely whispering. Hermione’s eyes filled with tears as she looked in to Ginny's eyes. She could tell that Ginny meant every word she said.

Hermione found this look scary and couldn't do anything else, the just froze, letting her tears fall before she whispered again, "I love you".  
Ginny just glared at her while she jerked her hands away from Hermione’s now weak grip before she said; "I don't bloody care what you say or feel. You don't deserve to feel. Now get the fuck away from me and never speak to me again!"

_**\- end flashback-** _

Almost seven years had passed since that day, and I could still remember every word she had said me. It was the last words she spoke to me. That day, I swore to stay away from the magic world. With only a few exceptions, that is. The first few months I had managed to live completely as a muggle in London. I have no idea how I made it, but I did. But after a few months I noticed how the war had affected me, no muggle alcoholic beverage had been strong enough to let me forget the things I had been through, and no muggle medication either. I couldn't see a muggle shrink either, that would only get me locked up for the rest of my life for sure. So I decided to see a healer and get some kind of help dealing with my trauma that way. I also realized that I probably could use firewhiskey as a temporary solution until the healer could help me somehow. It didn't take long after that when I realized that I didn't have an address to Ginny, and I needed to talk to her. So I got an owl as well. And then, after a couple of years I received an owl from an anonymous person who sent me a quidditch magazine. It confused me until I had looked through a couple of pages. There was a picture of Ginny on a broom with the headline 

_**"is this the next quidditch star?"** _

But I will get back to this article soon enough.

It had only been about 6 months after the war was over, I had just bought an owl because I wanted to send Ginny a letter. Besides I could use the owl to order firewhiskey from the diagon alley so I wouldn't have to go there myself.  
The very same day as I bought the owl (whom I gracefully enough had named "Ginevra") I sat down by my kitchen table and started to write a letter to Ginny;

_Dear Ginny_

No, I scratched that.  
_Hello, Ginevra_

No, scratched that too.

_Dearest Ginevra_

Nope, once again I scratched what I had written.

_Fuck it.. Look Ginny, I understand that you don't want to hear from me, hell, you probably don't want to read this letter either, but I'm writing it anyway. You see, I have a hope that someday you will talk to me again. I want you to know that what I, Ron and Harry did last year, was necessary. If we hadn't done it, you may not have been alive, probably your entire family would have been killed by now. Instead you lost one brother, one fought and died for your freedom, your family’s freedom. Please Ginny, I beg you to talk to me again. It's been 6 months since you last spoke to me, and it's killing me. I love you. You are my very best friend, and I can't live without you much longer. Please speak to me.  
\- Love Hermione_

When I read through the letter after I was finished, I figured it was quite pathetic, but I didn't really care about it, the point was to get Ginny to speak with me again, and I was prepared to do anything to get it my way.

A couple of days later, my owl came back without my letter, which could only mean that she had received it. And the owl came closer in to view, I could see that it was bringing a letter back. Fuck, didn't she get the letter after all? When the owl landed in my window, I could see that it wasn't my letter it returned with. There was nothing written on the outside of it to show any evidence of who had sent it, but I was fairly sure Ginny actually had replied. My hands was shaking when I released the letter from the owl and carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.

_Hermione,_

_Do you remember me saying that I never wanted to speak with you ever again? Well, maybe I wasn't specific enough, but that goes for letters as well. I never want to have anything to do with you ever again? Understand? Now leave me alone!  
Ginny_

This was breaking my heart. How could she do this to me? We were always there for each other; would she really just throw it away like that? I felt a tear run down my cheek, this was just too painful. I decided to hide the letter in a box in some corner of my closet; I just wasn't ready to throw it away just yet.  
A couple of months later I decided it was time to try to get Ginny to speak with me again.

_Dear Ginny,_  
You probably don't want this letter either, and I'm fully aware of what you said about you never want to have anything to do with me ever again. But still I live on the hope of you regretting those words. I know I can never make things the way they used to be again, but please, just speak with me again, you are too important to me to loose, I won't let you walk away just like that, I care too much about you to do something like that. Please talk to me again.  
Love Hermione 

Also this time, the owl returned with a letter from Ginny;

_Look Hermione, I don't know what the fuck is wrong with you, but you better stay away or I'll come over there and hex your brains out, I'm not joking. I don't want you to be a part of my life anymore, so stay away!_

Ginny had clearly been angry when she wrote that last letter, her handwriting was showing how much she had been shaking, making the letter almost unreadable.  
I couldn't help it; I just had to answer her, even though the more rational part of my mind told me not to. "Oh, shut up", I muttered to myself under my breath.

_Dear Ginny,  
The reason why I keep ignoring your request to stay away from you is because I want to fight for you. I won't let you walk out on me like that, not until you have heard what I have to say! Please talk to me, listen to what I have to say, and I'll stay away for as long as you wish. Please Ginny, I'm begging you_

_Love Hermione_

I didn't hear from Ginny again. I kept sending her letters about twice a month; I still do, more than 6 years later, begging her to listen to me. I'm sure I could have written what I wish to tell her in a letter, but I'm not even sure if she reads my letters anymore, or if she just throws them away unopened.

I had been sending her letters for about a year and a half when I received an anonymous owl. I didn't know whose it was, I had never seen it before, but it was a private one. Someone sent me a quidditch magazine. There was a short note there too;

_Hermione,  
You should take a look at this; you might find someone you know_

There was no signature, just those words. I looked at the magazine with disgust and looked at the letter again. There was something familiar with the writing, I just couldn't remember who it was, and the owl had already left, so I couldn't write back and ask. I sighed and opened the magazine on the first page and scanned quickly through it. There was nothing. It was the same for the next couple of pages. I sighed loudly when I turned the next page, thinking this was a waste of time. Then, when I turned the next page, I almost fainted. With large letters on the top of the page it said;

_**Is this the next quidditch star?** _

Underneath it was a large picture of Ginny Weasly. She smiled and waved to the camera. Under the picture was an article about her.

_Is Ginevra Molly Weasly (19), our next big quidditch star? Ginevra (mostly known as Ginny) graduated from Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardly last year. When she entered her final school year, she was assigned the position of captain of the school quidditch team Gryffindor. She led her team to victory in every single match and had what is believed to be the best quidditch team in the history of the school. At her last match, a scout for almost every team in Britain was present as they had heard of her skills, both as a chaser, seeker and a leader; they all wanted her for their team. At last she decided she wanted to sign for the Holyhead Harpies, worlds only team with women only. She signed with them before she even finished school and had her first training session with them two days after she graduated. And today she has been very important in her team’s victory against the Chudley Canons._

_**Ginevra, what made you decide to sign with the Holyhead harpies last year?** _

_Please, Gilbert, call me Ginny. But to answer your question, I decided to sign with the Holyhead harpies because they have always been my favorite team. When I was a little girl and stole my brother’s brooms to practice flying, I always used to pretend that I was playing on their team, dreaming about doing it someday. So when I was offered a place on their team as a third reserve, it was an easy decision to make. I never expected to get this much play time, so when they decided to put me on the start team; I was really excited about it. I'm just happy I could be on the team today and play at all._

_**Ginny, do you think that your role in the victory today will give you a permanent place at the start team next season?** _

_Well, Gilbert, that is hard to tell. This was just one game, and that is not nearly enough to get a place like that. Besides, we have 3 great players occupying the positions already, so we all will just have to wait and see what happens_

I just stared at the article; I really didn't know what to believe. Ginny playing professional quidditch? I mean, I always believed she would play professional quidditch, I just couldn't believe she did it already, not so quickly after school. It was a shock, but at the same time it wasn't. Maybe it was because she apparently had got big quite fast.

All thought I never had much interest in quidditch, I got a hold of a game plan and a magic radio, that way I could follow every game her team played. I always wrote her a letter after the games, telling her what I thought of it. She still didn't answer my letters; it was more out of habit and a desperate wish to get her to speak to me again, but I never heard a word from her.

Today, as I was walking back home, I couldn't stop thinking of her. I missed her so badly. Over the years I had told her how I used to be and still was in love with her. I was on my way home from St. Mungo. I had been there for my weekly appointment with the healer who helped me though the trauma I suffered from after the war. Today's theme was Ginny, what she had said to me in the great hall, and what she had written in the two letters she had written me all those years ago. I found it quite embarrassing that I still needed help so many years later. It had been almost seven years; it was about time to get over it. I just wish it was that easy.

When I got home I threw my jacket in a chair and went over to my refrigerator to find a large bottle of firewhiskey, I decided to skip the glass, I just needed to get drunk fast. This last session had been one of the worst so far. I didn't realize how much Ginny had hurt ne until today. I decided to write her a letter, letting her know that I was giving up.

_Ginny,_

_This is my last letter to you, maybe to anyone. I had an appointment with that healer again today; I got back from there just now. In today's session we spoke about you. I realized then that what I do is holding me back. Therefore I have decided to give up. I have been fighting for you for more than six years now, and it has gotten me nowhere. I don't really wish to do this, but I can't keep this going. I am really sorry for all the pain I might have given you the past six and a half years. I'm really, truly sorry for everything. Just remember this, I love you. I always have, and I always will. My heart never belonged to anyone else. I love you.  
I guess this is my last goodbye, then._

_Always yours,  
Hermione_

I sent the letter, emptied the last remains of the firewhiskey, locked the door and went to bed, drunk and crying.


	2. Running off to save a damsel in distress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look at that, it's only been one week, and I'm already off schedule! Oh well, in my defense, yesterday was not exactly a good day to be me. A lot of shit happened. I'll do better from now on, though. Next update will happen when it's supposed to!  
> Also, my computer has failed me, so I had to manage this thing on my phone. Turns out it's not as easy as I hoped it would be. I do hope the spelling is not all too bad, but I did my best to fix it.
> 
> But now, at last, chapter 2 is here.  
> This one is from Ginny's POV.
> 
> So let's see what happens, then, shall we?
> 
> -Bento out!

**_I guess this is my last goodbye, then_ ******

**_"What the bloody hell?"_ I shouted out loud as I read those words. A couple of my teammates, Gloria and Grace looked up at me as they heard my shout. "What's the matter, Gin?" Grace asked.  
I was muttering under my breath when I answered her **

**_"Nothing, it's nothing"_. I looked up at them when I spoke the next words,**

**_"Look, I need to run. Tell Gina she is taking my duties as captain tomorrow if I'm not back by tomorrow morning. I'll send you an owl if I have to stay away tomorrow, but hopefully I'm back sometime tonight."_ **

**I flooed back to the Burrow where I found both my parents in the kitchen.**

**_"Ginny? I wasn't expecting you back yet? How are you darling?"_ My mum said surprised as I walked out of the fireplace, right in to my mum's embrace.**

**_"I'm fine mum. I just need to speak with dad outside for a moment."_ **

**Dad looked confused when I said this. It rarely happened that I had to speak with him like this. I also suspect that I might have looked a little upset or something from the worried look on his face when we got outside.**

**_"Is there something wring, Ginny? You have me quite worried when you act like this. Usually you take your time to talk to your mom, no matter..."_ I interrupted him, I had no time for this Smalltalk. **

**_"Look, dad. I know you are off work for the night, but I really need a favor of you. I got another letter from Hermione a few minutes ago. I need to know where it came from, I'm worried about her. I think she's going to kill herself or something, I beg you, dad. This has gone too far, now. I need to speak with her"_ I begged. **

**I was on my knees, begging him to trace the letter. It wasn't the first time, but it was going to be the last. I had broken her heart for long enough now, it was time to let go of my grudge against her.  
I sat on the ground sobbing when dad turned around and went inside to tell mum that we went to the ministry for a while, and that he would explain later, this was urgent and he had no time.**

**We apparated in the ministry a few moments later and ran up to the minister's office in just a few moments. Dad knocked while he was catching his breath.**

**_"Come in"_ a voice called, from inside the office.**

**_"Kingsley, how are you? It's been too long. You should come over for dinner again soon. How long is it since the last time you did? A month? Anyways, remember Ginny? Of course you do. She needs your help."_ **

**_"Is that so? Well, what may I help you with, miss Weasly?"_ Kingsley looked at me while he spoke with a small smile playing on his lips, like it always did.**

**_"You see, Mr. Minister, I have been receiving these letters for the past six and a half years that I for personal reasons haven't replied to, but tonight I received one that had me a little worried, and I need to go to her as soon as possible. I need to know if you can trace this letter for me right away?"_ I said in an incredible speed while waving the letter in front of his face.**

**_"Miss Weasly, I would be happy to help you, but I'm sure you understand that the man who deals with this has returned home for the night. Why don't you come back first thing tomorrow morning, and I'll have him take care of it before he starts anything else."_ He smiled apologetically.**

**I could feel my heart dropping to the bottom of my stomach. I backed up a few steps, knowing that there was a wall close by. I sunk to the floor when I reached it, not quite sure what I was going to do next. I had to know tonight, it could be too late already, and I didn't want to waste any more time not knowing. Kingsley and dad both looked at me with worried expressions.**

**_"Look, miss Weasly. How important is this?"_ Kingsley asked. I glared at him. **

**Would I be here, this close to one of our most important games this year, if it wasn't important? I**

**spoke as calmly as I possibly could, _"minister, sir. This is really important. This girl, might be dead because of me, and I don't want to waste more time than necessary. But never mind, I'll find her on my own if you won't help me."_**

**I rose slowly while I glared at the minister at the same time I tried to figure out how to find Hermione. Yes, I might have been tracing her letters occasionally the past years, but each time she had been living a new place, all over the country.  
I was halfway through a thought where I was about to decide to visit the last residence I knew she had stayed, a place in Surrey, (What on earth she was doing there, I couldn't tell, but that was the place I was going. It had been more than a year since last I had traced her, but at least it was a place to start.) When the minister spoke; _"Miss Weasly, what makes you think this person might be dead because of you?"_ He was worried now, I think I was about to get him to do it. **

**_"I believe this could be because of the letter I received today where some of her final words were **"I guess this is my last goodbye, then." **I don't know what she has done or will do, but I won't take any risks, so if you'll have me excused, I have to find someone"****_ I said as I turned around to leave.**

**_"Wait, miss Weasly. I will floo him and see if I can get him to help you. I can't promise anything, but I will ask. Now, if you'll excuse me for a couple of minutes while I contact him, I would appreciate it."_ Kingsley spoke as he gestured towards the door and turned himself to the fireplace.**

**A few minutes went by while we waited outside the office. I couldn't sit still, not with the hope of finding Hermione and see what she was up to. When the door opened again, Kingsley walked out first, followed by a short man, _" miss Weasly, I assume you remember Mr. Kling?"_**

**I smiled, possibly the biggest smile I have ever smiled. We walked towards Mr. Klings office where I handed him the letter. It took about an hour to get the letter traced to its origins, but he made it happen. He wrote the address on a piece of parchment and handed it to me. I read the note;**

****Miss Hermione Granger. Tatcherstreet 54, floor 5 apartment 509** **

**I stared at the note. _"Are you bloody serious? She lives here? In London? Just a couple of blocks away? Is this some kind of a bad joke? This has to be a joke, a really bad one"_**

**I was just talking. This couldn't be possible, just a couple of blocks away? Just a few blocks away from my own apartment here in London? This wasn't possible, it couldn't be.  
** I just stared at all three of them, not quite sure what to believe. With no explanation or another word, I turned around and ran outside, forgetting all about my ability to do magic, I ran towards Tatcherstreet 54, apartment 509.  
I arrived there a couple of minutes later, all the running laps around the quidditch pitch finally was good for something.  
As I arrived there, I ran straight to the door and found myself rather surprised that it wasn't locked. I ran the stairs, faster than I had ran anything before. As I reached the fifth floor, I looked around to locate apartment 509. There, at the end of the hall I saw it. With large, golden letters it said 509. Next to the door was a small sign with her name on it, _Hermione Granger_ just plain simple. I HAD to laugh a little when I saw the little picture next to her name, it was a little witch on a broom. Suddenly I remembered what I was doing here, but at the same time I also remembered that I had been ignoring her for the past six years, well, ignoring her letters, anyways. She had still been on my mind all the time. I regretted the things I had said to her back then, but I didn't have the guts to tell her I was sorry. But now, here I stood, outside her apartment. I wondered if she would forgive me for what I had done to her. I looked at my watch, noticing that the time was only 19:45. She was probably still awake.  
So I knocked the door. 

**There was no response. That had me worried. Sure, maybe she was out or something, but I had a feeling she wasn't. The Hermione I used to know would rather stay at home than go out. And when I had read her letters, she never wrote about going out or anything, she told me about how she rather stayed at home with a bottle of firewhiskey by herself. It happened often, at least that was the way I understood it. Maybe too often. Maybe I should have done something sooner. But now it was too late. I had always been worried, but I always also thought that it wouldn't get to this, not with her getting help from that healer. I was scared now, really scared. I reached for the doorknob, it was unlocked. I went inside and looked. I was in a hallway with another door in the other end. I walked to that door and knocked it, just in case.  
** Still no answer. I opened the door slowly, scared of what I would find on the other side of the door. I couldn't see her there either.  
The only thing I could see, was things, lots of them. Mostly empty firewhiskey bottles and clothes, but she also had a lot of books and... quidditch magazines? What the hell? Since when did she care about quidditch? I noticed that the collection included several different magazines. It had to be hundreds of magazines there. What the hell had happened to her? I picked up a couple of the magazines and went through them quickly. I noticed that parts was missing, sometimes it was whole pages, several, at times, even, and sometimes it was just pieces of pages gone. 

**_"What the bloody hell?"_ I muttered under my breath. **

**I didn't understand a thing about this. Did she live with someone else? Or maybe it was the wrong apartment, even.  
_"Hermione? Are you here?"_ I asked, barely loud enough for her to hear. **

**_"Hermione?"_ I asked again as I opened another door. This one seemed to lead to a bedroom.**


	3. Am I dreaming?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know, it just feels like there is something wrong about this, but I have read and re-read a million times now, and i just can't find anything else now, so it will just have to do.
> 
> This chapter is from Hermiones POV again, and that's about all i have to say for now.
> 
> So enjoy, and I'll see you again next week!
> 
> -Bento out!

Someone was in my apartment. Why the fuck were there someone in my apartment? And how the hell did they get in? I hadn't heard any locks being broken, and I was sure I had locked it before I went to sleep. I looked at the clock that hung on the wall above my desk. It was almost eight in the evening, it was only a couple of hours since I went to bed. Who the fuck would break in to someone's apartment at this time?

 

_"Hermione? Are you here?"_

 

What? Okay, this was apparently someone I knew, but who would visit me now without telling me? Well, who would visit me in the first place? I didn't know many people, I stayed away from them as much as I could after the last letter Ginny sent me. I silently jumped out of the bed and went to my desk, I almost lost my balance at first. I guess I was still drunk, then. I had hidden my wand deep down in my drawer. Even thought I hadn't used it in nearly seven years I kept it, just for situations like these. It felt weird holding it again, weird, but right. Like it belonged there. Silently I ran towards the door and hid behind it. I was ready to ambush who ever the burglar was. They would learn how bad an idea it is to just break in to my apartment. I held my wand ready as the door began to open and the stranger spoke again, 

_"Hermione?"_

That voice. It was so familiar, yet it belonged to a stranger, like it was a voice I hadn't heard in years.  
Someone took a step forward and in to the room. I took a silent step to the right and pointed my wand towards the silhouette while I whispered _petrificus totalis_.

 

Whoever it was fell to the floor face first, unable to move. I jumped over the stiff body and went for the light. As I turned to see who it was, I almost fainted. I let out a little scream and backed out of room. I walked to the kitchen, numb in my entire body. I wasn't sure if I could breathe. Hell, I wasn't even sure if this is real. Damn! I had to be dreaming. There was no way in hell _she_ could be here. Absolutely no way in hell. I turned to the refrigerator and opened it, searching for a bottle of firewhiskey and emptied about a fourth of it at once. If this was real, I could really need a bottle or two of it. I went back in to my bedroom and prepared to let her have her movement back. I was barely able to walk, the last firewhiskey was really going to my head, and considering that I was drunk already when I woke up, I was surprised I could walk at all.

When I got back, well, she still laid there of course. My heart dropped as I saw her properly. She still looked just the same, with her bright ginger hair, pale skin and freckles. The only thing that had changed, was that she was taller, her hair longer and she was definitely more muscular. She was even more beautiful than I remembered her. I noticed something in her hand, a piece of parchment, my handwriting was visible. I read trough it quickly, it was the letter I had sent only a couple of hours earlier.  
What the hell? How could she have it already? It wasn't that long since I sent it. This wasn't possible, unless she was nearby already. Does Ginny really live here in London? I sat down on my bed, not quite sure what to think. I sat there for a moment, just thinking about what had just happened. I decided this had to be a dream, there is no way this could be real. I shook my head, I was sure I was dreaming.  
I looked down at Ginny and muttered the counter spell. She stretched her limbs, getting the movement back properly. She rose and looked at me. It's difficult to describe the look in her eyes, she looked worried, scared, relieved and.. insecure? Ginny Weasly insecure? Well, that's not something you get to see every day.  
It was only a moment after she stood up before I spoke, 

_"Well, I've had many dreams of you through the years, usually they repeat themselves, but this one is new. Must say I'm impressed , though, it's by far the most lifelike I've ever had."_

I took another large sip of firewhiskey. It burned down my throat, but in a good way. I could feel I was getting more and more drunk. It felt good, really good. It made things easier to handle, even if I was dreaming. Ginny took a step towards me, the stood right in front of me now, looking down at me. She had tears in her eyes. As she gently took the bottle of firewhiskey away from me, she whispered; 

_"This isn't healthy for you"_ "Screw healthy", I replied, a little angry she took away the only thing I felt could save me, right now. 

Ginny put the bottle on my desk, she had her back turned to me while she spoke;

_"You know, Hermione, when I decided to come here tonight, I never expected things to be this bad. I mean, I expected the worst, I was sure I was going to find you dead. But look around you, look at the mess and the filth around you, look at this bottle, it's the largest bottle of firewhiskey you can get, it's a whole litre, and you drink it like it's water, how much have you had to drink today? Never mind, I don't want to know right now. Look at yourself, Hermione. When is the last time you had a haircut? Or a shower for that matter. And look at how skinny you are, do you even eat anything? Christ, Hermione, I expected it to be bad, but not like this"._

Ginny turned around to look at me. Tears were falling down her cheeks and her voice was trembling when she spoke. It stung in my heart to see her like this, but I didn't really care. It was just a dream, and this was a particularly painful one, it was so real and this one made Ginny care about her. Therefore I didn't feel bad when I spoke my next words, filling them with as much acid and venom as I possibly could; 

_"Look *Ginerva Weasly*, this really isn't any of your business, is it? It's my life, and nearly seven years ago you told me to get the hell out of your life. Yes, I had a hard time letting go, but I have now. I'm finally getting out of your life, isn't that what you always wanted? Now. Get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. My. Apartment! **NOW,** before I hex you. And I must warn you, that spell I used on you, is the first one I have used in nearly 7 years. Who knows, maybe I've gotten a little rusty and mess up a spell? Would you like to stay and find out?"_

These words broke my soul, but I knew I was just dreaming, so she wouldn't get hurt by my words. She stared at me, her face filled with pure shock. I don't think she was able to say anything, or even move. I just glared at her, breathing heavily.

 

 _ **"MOVE!"**_ , 

I yelled. My voice has never reached a volume like that. Just another proof this was all a dream. She slowly started to move towards my bedroom door. She paused before left and spoke;

 _"I'll leave. But I'll take all alcoholic beverages you have with me for the night. I'll come back tomorrow morning, you'll be sober then. I'll bring these back tomorrow, but we need to speak. Please go back to bed, and I'll see you tomorrow morning. accio alcohol."_

And then she disapparated. Away from me, away from my dream. I walked to the kitchen to get some firewhiskey, I needed to calm my nerves. Shit, it was nothing there. Oh, right, she took it all with her. Damn. And there was no way I could get a deliverance at this hour.

I decided to go back to bed, this was just too much for me today. I headed back in to my bedroom and went to bed. Hell if I was putting it back in the drawer if she decided to return, I was going to be prepared to hex her brains to madness if she dared to come again. I drifted off to a dreamless sleep, angry with myself for letting me create dreams like this. No, tomorrow morning I would wake up, and my refrigerator would contain firewhiskey again, and I would spend another day moping around at work and then get home, get drunk and pass out. Just like I always did.


	4. Old letters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's saturday, so here's another chapter for you guys!   
> I just wanted to say thanks for all the love I've recieved, and I hope I can manage to keep you guys interested!
> 
> -Bento out!

_*Pop*_  
I apparated to the kitchen at the Burrow. Arms filled with firewhiskey and tears flooding down my cheeks. I fell to my knees just moments after. Bottles were breaking when they hit the floor, making a terrible noise. Mum was already in the kitchen, making some food as always. She turned to me, when she saw me she dropped everything and came running towards me. She wrapped her arms around me and carried me in to the living room where she put me down in her lap, rocking me back and forth and soothing me the best she could. We sat like this for about an hour, it was not until then my sobbing had stopped enough for me to speak again;

_"mum, can I stay here tonight? I really don't want to go home tonight."_

 

_"Of course you can, sweetie. You can always stay here whenever you need or want so, no need to ask, you are always welcome home, darling" >_

_she kissed me on the head after she said this. I was happy I didn't have to go home. I know that the other girls would ask questions, and I wasn't really up for that, not with anyone but mum, at least._

__"Thank you mum. Oh, and can I borrow Errol and send Gloria and Grace a note?_ _

__"Of course you can. He's on dads desk. I'm sure you'll find what you need for writing there, as well"_ _

__"Thank you, mum. I'll be back soon"_ , I said as I rose from her lap and walked in to dads home office to write that note;_

__Gloria and Grace,_ _

__I'm staying with mum and dad tonight. I won't be in for practice tomorrow either. I will explain everything later. I'll send Gina a note, but in case she doesn't get it in time, tell her that we spoke last week about what we were going to practice tomorrow. I'll talk to you tomorrow._ _

__-G_ _

_I rolled the parchment together and wrote their names on the outside. I found another piece of parchment and started to write a new note;_

__Gina,_ _

__I need you to take care of practice tomorrow. We spoke last week of what we are supposed to do tomorrow. If you don't remember, I'm staying at the Burrow tonight. I have something that I need to take care of in London. Yes, I know my apartment is closer, but I sort of just ran away from Gloria and Grace, and I can't face their questions right now. I'll give my mum the practice plan for tomorrow in case you don't remember and I'm gone by the time you drop by. I know you can do this, you are second captain for a reason. And remember; keep your eyes on the game._ _

__-G_ _

__I tied both the letters to Errol and sent him away after I had instructed him on where to go and in which order. I headed back to the living room, only to find my mum back in the kitchen cooking again,_ _

___"Thanks, mum. Oh, and Gina might drop by tomorrow, there is a copy of the practice plan in my room. I told her to collect it here in case she forgets what we were supposed to do tomorrow at practice"_. Mum looked at me with a confused look;_ _

___"what do you mean? Are you skipping practice tomorrow? What for?"_ _ _

__I looked at her, and asked her to find a kettle of tea and sit down. I had always told her everything about the whole deal with Hermione. She was never particularly happy with my decision to never speak with her again. After every letter I had received from her, she almost begged me to answer her. Mum looked worried when I asked her to sit. She probably thought someone had died or something. After she had found herself a chair across the table from me, I asked her;_ _

___"mum, do you know where I came from just bow? Have you spoken to dad yet?"_ _ _

__She just shook her head. Good, I could tell her the whole story myself, that made everything so much simpler._ _

___"Well, as you know I brought dad with me. We went to the ministry. You see, I got a letter that I had to trace, and Kingsley was nice enough to pull a few strings and help me out. It was a letter from Hermione. She wrote about how she was going to grant my wish and get out of my life for good. She also wrote about how this was her final goodbye."_ _ _

__At this point mum gasped and turned pale white, but she remained silent and let me continue my story;_ _

___"those words had me worried. I wasn't sure if she meant it like it was the final goodbye to me, or if it was her final goodbye at all. When I received that letter earlier, just minutes before I arrived here the first time tonight, I was worried it was already too late. I decided it was time to suck it up and find her. I wasn't sure if I had enough time to send her an owl back, I wasn't going to take the risk. So I appeared here, dad and I went to the minister and we had the letter traced. Turned out, she lives in London, just a couple of blocks away from the ministry, maybe 5 or 6 away from me, I didn't know she lived that close, I wish I knew before. Probably wouldn't matter, though, I would never have gone there either way; I'm too much of a coward to do something like that. Anyways, I ran from the ministry to her apartment, I honestly forgot I could use magic and just apparate to this backyard there that is used as an apparation point, a backyard that belongs to the very same building she lives in. Point is, I got there in just a couple of minutes, and then I ran up in the building to the fifth floor where she lives. When I got there, i knocked. She never answered, and I had this feeling that i shouldn't let that stop me, I had to go in, and somehow I just knew she was there. Inside the apartment, I almost started crying, she had empty bottles of firewhiskey, magazines and clothes all over the floor, it was really bad. You know those large, empty bottles of firewhiskey I brought? I believe she drinks at least one of them a day. I'm just so worried about her. Anyways, when I got there I spoke, asked if there was anyone there, I did it a couple of times, that was all I had time for, you see, as I walked in to what must have been her bedroom, I was suddenly petrified. She had used the bodylock spell on me before she backed out of the room in shock. Not that I can blame her, I haven't let her see me the past seven years. Well, she soon enough returned with a half empty bottle of firewhiskey. She was clearly drunk, but I couldn't do anything, all I could do was to lie their and watch her and listen to her muttering about how this has to be a dream. She even told me how impressed she was by herself because she had never been able to create a dream this lifelike. She then unhexed me. I removed that bottle of firewhiskey from her, and told her I was worried about her. She then started to yell at me and told me to get out, she even threatened me, told me how she hadn't used her wand since the war and how she might mess up a few spells bad. Now that I think about it, she sounded slightly hysterical. I took all the alcohol I could find there and left, telling her I would come back tomorrow morning when she was sober again. Oh mum, what have I done to her?"_ _ _

__Mum came over go where I sat and hugged med tightly while so sobbed loudly. After a short while I decided to head for bed, I had to sleep and be clear in my head when I met with Hermione tomorrow. She had just proved how unpredictable she could be. I walked up the stairs and found my room, mum had made the bed and lit some candles there. I decided to walk to my closet, in a box there, I had put all the letters Hermione had sent me since the war. I pulled out the box and opened it. At first the idea was to just put the last letter there along with the others, but as soon as I opened it, I wanted to read some over again. I pulled out a random letter, it was dated five years ago and started to read it;_ _

___Dearest Ginny,_ _ _

___I have just listened to one of your games on the radio. You know about my passion for quidditch, or rather the lack of it, but even I could tell you played great. This was the first one I heard, I didn't know until a couple of days ago that you played quidditch, but someone sent me a magazine with an interview of you, not sure who it was, but I think it was someone I know because the handwriting was so familiar, but since there was no signature, I have no idea who it was. Listening to your game made me want to see one of them someday, but I guess that is out of the question. I believe that if I did and you saw me you would be angry. But I still have a hope that one day you will forgive me for my mistakes and let me see you in action._ _ _

_____I was at St. Mungo today. We talked about how I was coping with the trauma after the war. I wasn't sure what to tell them, because honestly, I don't know. I mean, when I came back to Hogwarts and you told me to stay away, well it broke me, not only my heart, but also my soul. I wish you would let me know you again, let me be there for you trough everything._  
You know I love you, more than just a friend, and I just wish that you felt the same way.  
I know I won't get an answer on this, and I know the answer if you decided to reply, but would you want to have dinner with me some day? Just as friends of course. Oh what the hell, why bother asking? Well, in case you want to, let me know.  
Good luck with your next game, I will be listening.  
Love you. 

___Always yours,  
Hermione_ _ _

__When I finished reading it, I had tears in my eyes. Yes, I loved Hermione too, as more than just a friend, well, used to at least, but I couldn't tell any more for sure, she seemed so broken because of me, so I wasn't sure if I could allow myself to love her anymore, but I guess I did. I mean, I have always considered myself straight, I have always found guys attracting, but there is always an exception, mine was Hermione._ _

__Until the day she came back to Hogwarts I couldn't imagine myself with anyone else, but when things had calmed and I went to the great hall to mourn over my dead brother, Fred, she had followed me. And right then, I was so angry at the one who killed my brother and ended up blaming Hermione, Harry and Ron. I blamed them for months, and in order to cope with it, I put more energy to quidditch and school. I graduated with only O's and a contract with the Holyhead Harpies. It helped me get over the grudge I held against Ron. I was still angry with Harry and Hermione, Harry because he had taken Ron and Hermione away from me, I still blame him for creating the situation between me and Hermione, and I blamed Hermione because she left me to go with Harry._ _

__I know it was her own decision, and that gave me an even better reason to blame her. A year later I had only replied to two letters she had sent me, telling her to get lost. Another year passed by, and by then she sent me letters on a regular basis, about every two weeks. Sometimes more. But I couldn't get myself to tell her how sorry I was for treating her the way I did. I wrote letters, several to each of hers, I just couldn't make myself send them.  
I took out another letter, this one dated last Christmas._ _

___> Dearest Ginny,_ _ _

____First of all I just want to wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.  
I know it's still a lost cause writing you, but I still live in the hope that one day you will write me back. I don't know, I just can't get myself to stop writing. You are everything to me, and I hate myself for doing that to you, running away with the boys like I did, but I had to. Ron and Harry would have died during the first week if I hadn't been there too keep them from making stupid decisions. Do you speak any with Harry? I know you barely speak with Ron, I've exchanged a few letters with him, trying to get him to talk to you, convince you to write me back. No luck so far, I guess. I don't speak much with Harry. I get a few letters from him every once a while, usually for my birthday and Christmas, rarely anything outside of that.  
I miss you Ginny, wish you would speak with me again._ _

___Always yours,  
Hermione_ _ _

___I put the letter back in the box, I was really crying now. I had written about six or seven replies to that letter. All of them lying in the other box I keep in my closet. I moved the box with Hermione's letters back in the closet and dried a few tears who was running down my cheeks now, before I pulled out the other box with the letters I had written. It was bigger than the other, I had mostly written several letters to each of hers. I pulled out a random letter dated October three years ago and read it;_ _ _

____Hermione,_ _ _ _

______I have written you so many letters I never had the guts to send. I probably won't have it to send you this one either.  
I just wanted to tell you how very sorry I am for what I have done to you, not replying and everything. I wish I could have handled everything differently, I really do. I know I don't have any right to ask you this, but I beg you to forgive me. I will do anything to make it up to you.  
How about this, I know it's your birthday next week, why don't we meet up, and I'll buy you dinner and we can talk about things and I'll try to make it up to you, at least begin.  
Well, in case I don't see you, happy early birthday Hermione_ _

____Lots of love,  
Ginny_ _ _ _

___I cried when I read this. Just one out of hundreds of letters I never sent, just stored in a box in a closet. Shit, I really wish I had sent her all those letters. I decided, no, I swore, that one day, she would see them, one way or the other. I put the box back in the closet and headed to bed, it was already past midnight, and I had to get up early and get ready. The last thing was thinking about before I fell asleep, was a silent prayer for her to forgive me. That night I slept bad, I had a dream that I found her dead next morning. Dead because of me._ _ _


	5. An old letter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep forgetting it's Saturday and I'm supposed to post this thing. I definitely need to put on some sort of alert.
> 
> Anyways, in this chapter things are taking quite a turn. Up until now, there has been a lot of Hermione believing it was all a dream, but now she might be able to let the idea go. Hermione is here a broken character, she struggles to differentiate between dream and reality. She is trying her best. She's had hallucinations about Ginny being there before, she's just never had this part where Ginny is so worried, where she can smell her, almost taste her. Hermione feels her presence, she knows this was different from the other hallucinations. She just doesn't have any reason to understand why Ginny would actually be there.
> 
> This whole thing is very complicated and will be revisited in future chapters. All I ask is that you are patient with me. There will be lots of flashbacks in the future, we will see how Hermione became this screwed up semi alcoholic who definitely shouldn't be allowed a wand. We will see how she gets better. Everything will make sense in the end. Just bear with me.
> 
> I also want you to keep in mind that I first wrote this fic almost 4 years ago, I was a very different person when it came to writing. I like to think I have improved a lot, and I'm sorry about the poor writing at this point, but my main focus right now is to create new chapters and keep this story from stopping up again.  
> So just move forward with me, and you will soon see things will become different.
> 
> As for future references; yes, their story will move fast. Much faster than what would naturally happen, but there is a reason for it. There is a reason for everything that happens in this story. 
> 
>  
> 
> Okay, so now I've had my little rant, so I'll just let you get to the latest chapter of this story.   
> Kudos and comments are always greatly appreciated.  
> Enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> -Bento out

I woke up early. I laughed at myself for the pathetic dream I had last night about Ginny showing up all worried about the letter I had written the night before. God, how pathetic can one possibly be? I stood up from the bed and headed to the kitchen to get some coffee. I was terribly hung over from the night before, it felt like my head was splitting in half. When the coffee was ready I found a big mug and went to sit in the living room. I turned on the TV to catch some morning news. At the table I noticed a folder. I grabbed it and opened it in my lap. It was photos, articles and interviews, all of them about Ginny. I went through it all slowly, looking at everything. I cried. It was really painful to watch this, especially after that dream last night. It felt so real, almost like she actually was here. I couldn't remember everything, just that she suddenly was on my floor, petrified. I cried for a while.

After about 10 minutes I spoke loudly to myself,  
 _"Suck it up, Granger! It's time to get over it. She doesn't want anything to do with you! Now move on and get over her. You are better than this!"_

With that, I decided it was time to clean up things. I glanced at the time, noticing it was already 9:30, I still had 9 hours until I started at work. I rose and was about to start cleaning the floor, it was way too messy. I picked up a couple of empty firewhiskey bottles, while I was thinking to myself that I'm going to quit drinking today, it's just not worth it, I heard a knock on the door.

_"What the hell?"_ I muttered to myself, wondered who would visit me. I went to the door, still holding those empty bottles. I took a deep breath before I opened, prepared to tell them to fuck off. But as I opened the door and saw who was standing on the other side, I gasped and found it impossible to speak a word.

I just stared at her in pure shock, not quite sure if my mind was playing tricks on me. After what felt like forever, I finally managed to speak; _"Ginny?"_ , I said in disbelief. I couldn't move. _"Shit, I thought I was already awake"_ , I muttered to myself. I just stared at Ginny before I spoke again; _"Well, it was nice to see you again, but this really is a bad time for you to be here, I have to wake up for real now and my apartment is a mess. But it was nice to see you. Bye, now"._

As I was about to close the door and turn away she spoke for the first time. Her voice was careful, like she was afraid to speak, _" This isn't a dream, Hermione, I'm really here. I need to speak with you. Please?"_.   
Her expression was a mix of a lot, sorrow, regret and careful was the most dominant ones, but I could also see that she hadn't slept well. 

_"Oh well, it's just a dream, so whatever. Come in then. Close your door behind you"_. She slowly walked inside, like she wasn't sure if she should. 

_"Hermione, do you remember I was here last night?"_ , she asked carefully.   
_"Yeah, sure. I also remember using my wand, and since I haven't done so since the war, it was just another proof that it was only a dream. Now, what do you want to talk about? I have to wake up and make sure I'm not late for work or anything"._

When I had said that, she walked up to me and pinched my arm,   
_"Do you believe me now? It's not a bloody dream"_. She sounded frustrated. I grabbed my arm where the war pinched me, it was going to bruise, I was sure.   
_"Damn it, Ginny! What the hell did you do that for?"_ I glared at her angrily. That was really unnecessary.   
_"I was just trying to prove to you it's not a dream."_  
 _"Fine, whatever. Sit down if you'd like, I'll grab you some coffee."_

Ginny went to the couch and sat down on the edge, looking around the apartment while I went to the kitchen. When I got there, I looked at my arm, it was already beginning to bruise. I poked it and felt the sting that followed. I whimpered slowly at the sting.

Is it really possible this wasn't a dream? That Ginny really was here, in my living room? No way!

Yet, I found a mug for her and filled it with coffee before I went back to her. I gave her the mug and she muttered a silent thank you. She didn't look at me, just stared in her lap like she was a school kid in the headmaster's office about to get in trouble for something.

We were silent for a few moments before I spoke, 

_"What are you doing here, Ginny? What do you expect to gain from coming here?"_ She looked at me now, her eyes screaming sadness, as she spoke next;   
_"I received your letter, last night, and it made me worried when you wrote about how it was your last goodbye, so I..."_  
 _"You received my letter last night? That's not even possible, that would mean you live close by, and I have never seen you around before."_

She was silent while I spoke, maybe she understood that she had no right doing this to me, not now after all this time. 

_"Yes, I do live nearby. I live just a few blocks from here. I found out just last night how close to me you were. But please, let me tell you, I will leave afterwards if you still want me to"_

I waved my hand as a signal for her to continue, determined to kick her out when she was finished.

_"Okay, so I received your letter last night. When I read what you wrote about it being your final goodbye, I was sure you were about to kill yourself, yes I read what you wrote about not writing me again, but as I read those words, I wasn't thinking very rational. So I went to the Burrow right away, from there my dad and I went straight to the minister's office and had him pull some strings and get your letter traced. When I found out about you living just a couple of blocks away from the ministry, I ran here right away, I arrived here in just a few minutes. I went up here and found all this mess, it had me even more confused and worried. At first I thought I might had gotten the wrong apartment, I found all of these quidditch magazines, and well, you never had much interest in quidditch, but as I saw a couple of pictures at the wall of you, I understood it was your place, but I figured that you might were living with someone, so I just kept walking. I spoke your name a couple of times, next thing I know I open a door and find myself on the floor petrified. When I was lying there on the floor I was thinking about you, about how much all if this terrified me. Then you returned with that bottle of firewhiskey, and I got even more worried about you. When you unhexed me, I wasn't sure that to do next. I just remember saying something, and the next thing I know is you kicking me out. I went back to the Burrow and collapsed on the kitchen floor. I talked to mum about it, the letter and my visit. She really missed you, you know. Almost as much as I did. Later on I went to my old room, I was about to put your letter in this box I have where I keep all the letters you have sent me since the war ended. I read trough a couple of them again, and I could do nothing but to cry. I was just thinking about how much I regretted what I last said to you, all those years ago. I just wish I had done things differently. You have no idea how much I wish I had done things differently. I am so sorry, Hermione. And I know I am in no position to ask you this, but will you please forgive me? I'll do anything for you, anything you ask."_

She cried as she spoke, her voice trembled. I'm pretty sure she was honest with me. And she was right, she had no right to ask for my forgiveness. Not after all she said and didn't say. I just had one question for her, and I held my voice as cold as I possibly could when I spoke; _"If you regretted it so badly, why didn't you ever write me back, then?"_   
She looked sad. I was starting to think that maybe she really did regret it all, but hell if I was going to let her get away that easy.

Her voice was low when she answered, _"trust me, I have asked myself the very same question hundreds of times. Truth is, I don't know. I mean, I have written you letters, hundreds of them, several letters to each one you have sent me, I just never had the guts to send them. I really wish I had, then I wouldn't be sitting here worried and about to beat myself up. I really am sorry things got like this"_.

I just looked at her, she read my letters? Even written replies she never sent? This was just unbelievable. Ginny rose from the couch and went over to the chair I was sitting in. She leaned in and dried a tear that had escaped. I hadn't even realized I had tears in my eyes. She straightened up and spoke, _"well, I guess I should leave, then. Oh, I almost forgot, I know it's a few days late, but I found this at home, I know it's not much, but I want you to have it. Happy late birthday, Hermione."_

She was sad, clearly sad when she said it. She handed me an envelope. I looked at it, and asked; _"what is this?"_. She just looked at me and silently said; _"it's one of the letters I wrote you. I thought you might like to read it. It's old, though, but it still matters, I still mean what it says. I just want you to have it. Let me know what you think after you read it, will you? I'm staying at the Burrow if there is anything. Goodbye, Hermione."_

I looked after her as she walked out the door, not quite sure what to believe.

 

I glanced at the time a short while after she left, only then I could get myself to do anything but staring at the door she had just walked trough. It was already 4:15. I needed a drink. Right now.

I walked over to the leaky cauldron, deciding that probably the best idea. It wasn't that far away, only 15 minutes of walking. I brought the letter with me, I wanted to have a couple of glasses of firewhiskey close by when I read the letter. I walked in, and a couple in the darkness started to whisper. I just hoped it wasn't about me. I hadn't been much part of the magical world since the war, so I didn't know if I would be something they talked about. I went over to the bar and ordered two glasses of firewhiskey and found myself a quiet corner where I could read the letter in peace and quiet.

At first I just sat there with the letter in front of me at the table. I just glared at it. After a few moments I had a sip to drink, almost like to get some courage, and reached for the letter. I was shaking really bad when I opened it. I saw it over quickly before I started to read it properly, just to get an idea of what to expect. I sighed as I was about to read, not sure if I really should. This was going to be painful. The letter was dated October two years ago, just before my birthday.

_Hermione,_

_First of all, I just want to wish you a happy birthday._

_Now I have something to tell you. I was supposed to tell you when you got back from the war, but it all got so wrong when I finally saw you. I really wish I hadn't said all of those things. I truly am sorry for every word I said to you. I know I'm in no position to ask you this, but I ask you to please forgive me, at least consider it._  
What I should have said, was "I love you", because that's the truth. I'm in love with you. I have always been in love with you, ever since I saw you the first time on the station when you were about to leave for your first year at Hogwarts all those years ago. Since that day, I have only been able to picture my future with you. But now, those pictures are about to fade, more and more for each day that passes, only because I'm pushing you away like I do. I wish to spend my future with you.  
I love you, Hermione Granger. More than anything else. I would do anything for you. I just hope you still feel the same way about me. 

_Love,_

_Ginny_

I put the letter down. My mind stood still. Why did she do this to me now? Now that I was ready to move on. I glanced at the time again. It was 5:45. I emptied the last of the firewhiskey and went over to the bar to ask the guy behind the counter if he could floo someone for me. He told me it was no problem, he just needed to know where he should call and what to say. _"The Burrow. Ask for Ginny and tell her she needs to get back to my place. She should know where and why. Tell her it's urgent"_.   
_"I'm on it. Can I get you anything else?"_ He smiled at me. I dug in my pocket and found some sickles and put them on the counter, _"No thank you. I'll just head home, now. Good night"._

When I came out I picked up my cell phone and rang to work. It was Jen who picked up the phone,   
_"hi, Jen. It's Hermione. Look, I can't get to work today. Something urgent came up that I have to take care of. Can you get someone to cover for me? I'll be back tomorrow night, I hope. I just have to take care of this."_  
 _"sure, Hermione. Call me tomorrow and let me know if you can make it. Don't rush back. I'll have you covered."_  
 _"Thanks, Jen. I owe you one."_ I hung up, not bothering to wait for her to say something more.

I ran home. Sure, I could have apparated, but I wasn't taking the risk. After all it was almost 7 years. Since I last did it. When I got there, I saw that Ginny hadn't arrived yet. But she wasn't far behind. I had only been home a couple of minutes when the door knocked. I yelled at her that the door was open. I heard it opened and closed before the next door opened and closed.

I stood in the middle if the room. I was furious. I glared at her, she just looked confused about my reaction.   
_"What's the matter? Did I do something wrong?"_ , she asked. She spoke so low, I could barely hear what she said.   
My next words came fast and loud, clearly showing how furious I was,   
_"what's the matter? You ask me what's the matter? How can you do this to me? How can you possibly have the nerve to confess your undying love to me now when I'm finally pulling myself together enough to finally move on from you? How can you possibly do this to me? It's been more six years since I told you the first time I was in love with you. six bloody years, Ginny. How could you?"_

I was crying now. I was hurt and angry with her. How could she do this to me? Was she just making fun of me? Or trying to hurt me even more? Ginny was crying too, now, but I honestly couldn't have cared less at the moment. I hated her right now, for doing this. Her voice trembled as she spoke again, clearly affected by her tears;   
_"I'm sorry, Hermione. I never meant to hurt you, I swear. I just thought when I read your letter yesterday, that it was time to do what I should have done six and a half years ago. I'm really sorry, Hermione. I guess I shouldn't have done it, I guess it was a mistake to let you know. Forgive me"._

Ginny hung her head in an apology. I could see her tears falling to the floor. My rage calmed down at this sight. Ginny who was always so strong and never let anyone hurt her, not so they could see, anyways. Ginny who never shed a tear in front of anyone, hardly even me, her best friend. To see her like this, broke my heart. I couldn't get myself to do anything else than just walk over there and apologize to her.

_"Look, Ginny. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It's just, it was just too much. I haven't heard from you in so many years, and suddenly you are standing on my doorstep all worried about me killing myself and with a letter where you confess your eternal love for me. You just can't expect me to react any differently. It just gets too much to. I'm Sorry."_   
Ginny was sobbing loudly now, I just couldn't help it, I took a small step towards her and embraced her. Okay, this was just weird, first of all, I hadn't embraced her in almost eight years, second of all, she was sobbing. This was something I never would have seen happen.

I lifted her and carried her over to the couch where I put her down before seating myself next to her. I sat there, soothing her for an hour or so while she kept muttering between sobs how sorry she was. An hour or so later she managed to pull together enough and removed herself from my arms. I removed a few tears from her cheek, telling her it was going to be just fine.

We just sat there for a while. Talking a little every now and then. It was kind of awkward, really. After a while, Ginny looked at the time and noticed it was getting late,   
_"Bloody hell! Is it really 1 in the morning already? Shit. I need to get home now, I got practice tomorrow morning."_   
I glanced at the time myself, surprised it was this late already, _"yeah. I should get to bed as well, it's been a long day"_.   
Ginny looked like she was thinking for a moment, then she spoke,   
_"Hermione, I know I probably shouldn't ask this, but would you like to come over to dinner tomorrow? At my apartment, I mean. I could kick Gloria and Grace out, and we could talk a little and see if we could sort things out? If you'd like. Feel free to say no"_. She looked at me nervously, apparently worried about what I would say.

I thought about it for a moment. I had work tomorrow, but not until 8. I wasn't sure what to say.   
_"I would love to, Ginny, but I have work tomorrow at 8. I work at a bar, so I don't really think I have time for it tomorrow. I already called in sick today, I can't afford doing two days in a row. I'm really sorry. But hey, we can have dinner here Thursday night, if you want. I have the day off, and I could cook. And I promise I'll clean up the apartment by the then."_   
I smiled hopefully as I said those last words. She put on a wide grin as well,   
_"I would love to. When should I be here?"_ I couldn't help myself, my grin grew bigger,   
_"I don't know, are you finished at practice around sevenish?"_   
_"Yes. I'll be ready on your doorstep around seven, Thursday, then."_   
_"Wonderful. I'll see you then. And give Mrs. Weasly my best wishes, will you?"_  
 _"Sure thing. Goodnight then, Hermione"_   
_"Goodnight, Ginny"._

As I went to bed that night, I was anxious and excited at once. Not quite sure what to expect. Why had I agreed to dinner with her in the first place? I was supposed to be hard to get, or something now. She deserved that much. I mentally kicked myself and thought to myself that I had to figure out something, because I sure as hell wasn't going to let her off the hook that easily.

Soon I drifted to sleep, a dreamless sleep for once, thankfully. This day's events had really taken its toll on me.


	6. [Untitled]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really have anything to say today, so I'm just going to let you off to the chapter pretty much right away.  
> Comments and kudos and stuff is always highly appreciated, of course.
> 
> I'll see you guys again next Saturday.
> 
> Bento out!

I apparated straight to my room at the Burrow. I had decided to stay there another night when I had seen Hermione at first. And considerate as I am, I assumed everyone were asleep already.

When I got there, I realized how hungry I was, after all I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Eating hadn't exactly been my first priority today.  
I decided to sneak downstairs and grab something to eat. When I got down to the kitchen, I had a hard time not screaming.

At the table in almost complete darkness, I saw two silhouettes. It took me a moment before I realized it was mum and dad, and another one before I could get myself to say something,

_"Mum? Dad? What are you doing still awake? I thought you were asleep already?"_

Apparently they hadn't heard me come down the stairs, because they jumped when I spoke. Then followed moving of a chair, running around the table and hugging followed by a very relieved voice of my mother,

_"Oh, Ginny dear. We were so worried. You were away for so long, and we didn't hear anything and.. oh Ginny, we were so worried."_

I pushed mum gently away and held her an arm length away from me and looked her in the eyes,

_"Mum, I'm fine. We just forgot about the time"._

She looked confused,

_"We? Are you saying you have been at Hermione's place until now? Oh, Ginny",_

followed by more hugging before she pulled away and dragged me over at the table. The literary pushed me in to a chair at the end of the table and started to ramble with equipment to cook,

_"What would you like to eat, dear? Is egg and bacon okay?"_

I just nodded. I had a hard time not laughing at her behavior. Cooking, her solution to everything. It's a miracle we're not at the size of a house all of us. She cooked in silence. When she was done she put a large plate with a small mountain of egg and bacon, sausages, and a some toast in front of me. You would think I had been starving for a month.

I ate my meal in silence, completely in focus of my food. I figured that was the best way if I wanted to actually swallow my bacon, not have it come out of my nose. I knew she was looking at me, just waiting to hear what had happened at Hermione's. She was just like a teenager when it got to Hermione. Mum had always liked her, although, she never knew about my true feelings for her, but since we are talking about my mum, Molly Weasly, I'm sure she had already guessed. It would explain why she was so devastated when she found out I had told Hermione to fuck off.

When I finished a few minutes later, she practically ripped the plate away and soon replaced it with a large cup of tea.

_"So? What happened? Did you make up?"_

I giggled. I just couldn't help it, she looked so excited there she was sitting at the edge of her chair, waiting to hear what had happened.

_"Mum, there isn't much to tell. She yelled a little, then we talked and cried a little, but mostly we sat in silence, not quite sure what to say. But I'm going over there for dinner Thursday night, and we'll take things from there. I'm not saying things will be like they used to, honestly I doubt it, too much has happened, and I've been too big of an idiot, so just having her speaking with me, is more than I have the right to ask for."_

My mum looked a little confused,

_"Well, I must just say you are certainly right, you have been an idiot, that girl had been begging you to talk to her again for years, and just writing letters but never send them isn't exactly the best way to treat a girl like Hermione. Anyway, why did she yell? You didn't do something, did you?"_

I looked at my hands in shame. She was right, I did treat her bad, really bad. I didn't deserve her.

_"I gave her one of the letters I wrote her two years ago for her birthday. She didn't take it too well at first, but she came around when I started to cry. I realized it was possibly a bad mistake giving it to her. But she calmed down eventually, and we talked a little, but we sat mostly in silence. It passed, and that's the most important, really. But we will probably talk about it in Thursday. I will tell her all I possibly can then, she deserves that much"._

Mum just looked at me, she had tears in her eyes and a smile was playing at her lips, she more or less ran around the table and wrapped her arms around me before I had taken a breath,

_"Oh Ginny dear. I am so proud of you, finally you pulled your head out of your arse and talked to her. Oh love, you have no idea how happy I am right now"._

This was kind of funny, you would almost think that she was happier to have Hermione back in my life than I was. She let go of me before she spoke again, _"Oh, if things goes well on Thursday, you have to invite her for dinner here sometime this weekend, Sunday, I think"._

_"MUM! I'm not inviting Hermione here for Sunday dinner, first of all we have to straighten things out between the two of us, I don't want to push my entire family on her this soon. I'm not risking it. Not yet. Take it easy, please. And second of all, George is always here for Sunday dinner, you might remember me blaming her for getting his twin brother killed? No mum, I'm not taking that risk yet. Soon, I hope, but not this soon, we are still too easy to break"._

Mum looked disappointed at first, but I think she understood what I was talking about. I hope so, at least. But my first priority from now on, will be to fix me and Hermione.

_"Yes, of course. You are absolutely right. Take your time and nurse your relationship carefully. Now, it's late and you have practice in a few hours. Off to bed with you. Goodnight, love"._

_"Yeah. Night mum. I'll see you tomorrow after practice."_

I think we both had forgotten about dad, but who could blame us? After all, he was resting his head on the table, clearly asleep. I giggled a little at the sight of dad waking up a few moments after mum had levitated him and was about to float him off to bed, he looked slightly confused as he woke up in the air like that. He then laughed a little, mum refused to put him down, she found it rather amusing seeing him float around like that. I'm sure dad did too.

I went upstairs an in to my room and fell asleep on my bed in a matter of seconds not even bothering to undress.

The next morning I woke up to an owl knocking on my window rather loudly. I took a quick glance at my alarm clock noticing it was 7:45, still 30 minutes until it would ring. I groaned and let a large yawn escape. I went out of bed and over to the window. I untied the letter that was tied to the owls leg, I sat down by the desk and read it,

 

_Ginny,_

_It's been a while since I written you now. How are you? Is the practice going okay? I try to listen to all of your games, but it's not always possible. I heard you did well at your last game. I'm so proud of you. I'm hoping that I will be back for your game against the Chudley Cannons December fourth, but I'm not making any promises yet.  
Currently I'm in Sweden. Someone told us we could find some very interesting news here about a new potion that can cure a werewolf. I'm really excited about this. If there is some truth in those rumors, I'll find it, and hopefully I can have it published soon. It's so exciting working for Luna's magazine, she has all these ideas that sound really weird, but many of them actually hold some truth in it. Had you told me that 6 years ago, and I would have you locked up at St. Mungo for good. I just love my job.   
Oh, and she's talking about having a new magazine published along with "the quibbler", "potions of the future" and "plant life, she wants a quidditch magazine too. She says I can report from quidditch games too, in addition to my job as a writer for "potions of the future". That would be really cool, I could go to all your games, and perhaps I could even trick you to a few exclusive interviews?_

_Anyway, I'm sure I know the answer to this question, it never changes, but have you spoken with Hermione lately? I wrote her for her birthday two days ago. She probably hasn't gotten it yet, I'm still waiting for her reply. Should be in any day now, if she intends to reply. I'm sure she still misses you. You should talk to her, you know, she really hasn't handled losing you very well. I Think she's on a good way to alcoholism. Please at least write her, let her know you still care._

_I'll write you again as soon as I can_

_Love,_

_Ron_

I smiled at the letter. It was nice to get a letter from him again, it was a while since the last one.

I wondered if he liked Sweden. I did when I was there three years ago playing quidditch.

I glanced at the time, and decided I would write him a reply while having breakfast, it was still an hour and a half until I had to be at the pitch. I took the owl with me and silenced the alarm so it wouldn't start off unnecessarily in 20 minutes. I brought a pen and a piece of parchment with me and headed downstairs. I found mum already cooking breakfast in the kitchen.

_"Morning, mum"_

She shot me a quick glance and a smile before she turned back to the stove,

_"Good morning, Ginny. Who sent you a letter this early? Is it from Hermione?"_

She sounded hopeful. Damn, what was it with this woman?

_"No, mum. It's from Ron. I just got it now, it's dated 5 days ago. He's in Sweden now, did you know he was going there?",_

I asked as I sat down by the table. This came as shock to me, I didn't know he was going outside Britain before new years.

_"Oh, and he said he hoped to be back for my game against the Chudley Cannons in December, wouldn't that be great?"_

Mum put some food on a plate and handed it to me,

_"Sweden? Wow. Good for him. It would be nice if he came home then, maybe he would come over for Christmas, he and Luna. That would be really nice. And if everything works out, you can bring Hermione too, if she wants to"._

She seemed excited about the idea of having Hermione over for Christmas, and I just couldn't help myself, I just had to ask,

_"Gee mum, next thing is planning our wedding, don't you think?"_

The sarcasm was dripping from my words, but damn well, she lit up at the idea,

_"You really think there will be a wedding between the two of you? I always pictured you to would end up together. Oh, this is going to be lovely. I can't wait"._

Her eyes sparkled as she spoke, and me? I choked on a piece of bacon. When I was able to breathe properly again I spoke, my voice full of shock and horror;

_"Bloody hell, mum. I was just joking. Jeez. I don't even know if I'm allowed to call her a friend again, yet. God damn me and my bloody big mouth. And besides mum, you know I'm not into girls like that. Christ."_

_"Oh, but Ginny, a wedding would be just wonderful. You belong together. And I have seen the way you look at her, and I have seen something in your eyes, something that goes beyond friendship. Come on, Ginny, we all know you are in love with her and have been since Ron began at Hogwarts"._

She was more or less dancing around in the kitchen when she spoke. One could almost see the wheels in her head working, already planning our wedding. And me? I choked again, this time on some scrambled eggs. How the hell could she know my love for Hermione went beyond friendship? And why the hell did everyone else know it too? This was getting ridiculous. I shoved the rest of the food down my throat, eager to get away as soon as possible.

 _"Look, mum,"_ I said as I rose from the chair and prepared to leave,  
 _"Don't get any ideas about me and Hermione, okay? We sure as hell have a lot to catch up on and figure out before I even dare to think of myself as a friend of hers. So just let it be. I have to go now, I need to stop by my apartment and get some stuff before practice. I'll see you later for dinner"._

I kissed her on her head as I went outside to apparate from there. I decided to skip the trip to the apartment, figured that I rather wanted to fly some rounds before practice began, catch up a little since I missed yesterday's practice. When I arrived I went straight to the changing rooms, muttering to myself,

_"Bloody woman. Why can't she ever stay out of my bloody business? She almost had me chocked twice. twice damn it.  
A wedding? Where the hell does she get her ideas from? She knew I was just being sarcastic. Stupid woman. A wedding? What the hell does she think about me? No sir, no weddings for me, no..."_

I heard a voice from behind me. Damn it. Couldn't I have a few moments by myself to get it all out?

_"Hey, loony tunes. Who are you talking to? And who's getting married? Is it you?"_

I turned around, it was Gina.

_"Hey, Gina. You're early. How come?"_

She raised an eyebrow as she spoke;

_"I decided to warm up a little early, and to plan practice just in case you didn't show up today either. But you are avoiding the important question here, are you getting married?"_

She smirked. The whole team was waiting for me to get married as I was the only one left. They hoped for me to have it done before I quit quidditch, then they would have a great excuse to throw one hell of a party for me. They always looked for reasons to party. I sighed,

_"No, Gina, I'm not getting married. My mum seems to think so, though. But no, no weddings for me. Although, I'm sure she had the entire thing planned already"._

Apparently, I'm the only one who isn't happy about the idea of me getting married,

_"Ih boy, Ginny. Who's the lucky guy? When will we get to meet him? Oh, have you set a date yet? You should do it in the spring. Spring weddings are so beautiful, remember Gretha's wedding? It was early May, it was so fantastic. Oh, and..."_

I was frowning now, why couldn't people mind their own fucking business?

_"Christ, Gina! I'm not getting married. God. I just.. Oh hell, never mind. I'll tell you the whole story later."_

You would think that would wipe her stupid grin, but no,

_"Okay, then. But you are clearly seeing someone, so you have to tell me who the lucky bloke is, or I'll tell everyone you are getting married"_

Stupid girl, too sneaky for her own good. I sighed again,

_"I'm not seeing anyone. Oh fuck it. Her name is Hermione, we were best friends until eight years ago, the following years I couldn't speak with her for reasons I don't want to talk about, I'm not ready for that yet, but I'll tell you some day. Anyways, seven years ago I was supposed to tell her I was in love with her, but it went wrong. Things happened and instead I told her to fuck off and never speak to me ever again. Know those letters I've been getting and never replied to? They were all from her. I tried to reply, I just couldn't make myself do it. Well, the other day I received one that had me worried, like really worried. I went there and found her drunk. She's been drinking for years, I just didn't think it was that bad. Well, she kept yelling about it being a dream and stuff, so I decided to remove all her alcohol and return the next day. That's why I didn't come yesterday, I had to take care of this while she was sober and before she did anything stupid. I gave her one of the letters I once wrote her, but never sent. She read it and had me come over again a couple of hour later. First she yelled at me, but she calmed down and we talked a little. We decided to have dinner tomorrow and talk, see if we can sort things out, at least begin. And well, mum is scarily excited about this, wants her over for Christmas and everything, and as we talked about it this morning I made an sarcastic comment about me and Hermione getting married, so now she thinks marriage is the next thing, hence the muttering you heard."_

She looked at me, in shock at first, but soon after a large grin followed,

_"Ginerva Molly Weasly, I never thought this about you. We all believed you were into guys. Well, not all of us, Gloria was betting on you being a lesbian, and Gretha and Gretchen was betting on bisexual. Oh my, my, my. Well, I guess I lost that bet, then"_

_"I'm not really into girls like that, only Hermi..wait, what? You were betting on whether I was in to guys or girls?"_

Bloody hell. Could this get any worse? I shook my head and continued,

_"Never mind, just don't mention any part of this conversation to anyone. I'm really not ready for anything about this, not yet. I need to figure things out with Hermione first before I do anything else. Christ. Okay, enough of this shit, now. Want to join outside for a few rounds around the pitch?"_

She looked at me, she was thinking of something,

_"Yeah, sure. I just have one question first. You say Hermione. It that Hermione as in Hermione Granger?"_

Bloody hell. I saw no good ending at this nightmare. I sighed again,

_"Yes, I'm talking about Hermione Granger. The Hermione Granger. The war hero and all that. Can we go now? This is just not a subject I feel like discussing with anyone. The war is the reason of the situation between her she me. Now let's go, please?"_

I glared at her, doing my best to show her that this conversion was over now. She just smiled, but rose and followed me out to the pitch,

_"Really? That is so cool. When do we get to meet her?"_

I glared at her while I mounted my broom,

_"Christ, Gina. I don't know. I don't even know what will happen next. I might know after our dinner tomorrow, now just shut up about this, will you?"_

And with that, I took off. Soon after she took off as well. I have never been happier to ignore her and blame it on my focus. We had only been in the air for a couple of minutes when the rest of the team arrived. I landed on the ground and gathered them all.

_"Okay, team, on Saturday we have a new game, this one against Puddlemere united. So today I have decided to play a practice game instead of running laps. We play reserve team against the main team. Any complaints? Good. Mount your brooms and warm up a little while I get the rest of the equipment"._

I walked to the locker where I had all equipment locked in and got the box. When I got back to the team, they were all in the air ready to start, the reserve team had already changed the colour on their uniform to blue. Good. Seems like 4 years as a captain had disciplined them by now. I looked up at them, I felt my whole body grow like a balloon, I was so proud of this team. I was dreading the day I was going to retire.

The team played perfect. It made me grow even more. This very team was the best in the history according to all the magazines in the world, and I was the captain of that team. I was so proud.

When I got back to the Burrow, I decided to give them the Friday off. They deserved it and a day off before the game Saturday would do them some good.

The evening at the Burrow was rather uneventful, we had dinner, then I went outside for a walk down by the river for a couple of hours before I returned back and decided to take an early night since I didn't get much sleep last night. When I got upstairs, I saw Ron's letter. I figured I should answer it before I went to bed, and sat down by my desk and began to write;

_Ron,_

_It's good to hear from you. I'm doing just great. Quidditch is going great, it's the best team in the history of Holyhead harpies, maybe even the whole Britain. It would be great if you could make it home by the game in December. Mum says you could bring Luna and have Christmas here. How is Sweden? Do you like it there? I think it's wonderful there. I want to go there again soon. But on a vacation next time. I didn't get to see much when I was there for the quidditch cup._

_Ron, prepare to be surprised. You don't know the answer to all the questions. I have spoken to Hermione lately. Two days ago was the first time. I'm going to her place for dinner tomorrow night, actually. I'll say you said hello._

_Now I'm off to bed. Have to get up bright and early tomorrow as usual._

_Best wishes,_

_Ginny_

I sent it off with the owl it came with, it probably knew where to find Ron. It had stayed here all day, probably expecting to return with a letter. Then I was off to bed. Once again I fell asleep in a matter of moments.

The next day went by in a blur. And all of a sudden it was 6 o'clock. I had an hour before I was going to meet up with Hermione. Plenty of time to get ready. I went for something casual, just a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. I had no intention of arriving overdressed. It was just a dinner and a talk between.. friends?

I went downstairs to find mum, telling her I was leaving now. She hugged me and wished me the best of luck. When I went outside she yelled at me to send her regards to Hermione. I apparated half a second later to the backyard of Hermione's building. I took a deep breath and headed for her apartment.


	7. Headaches and pizza

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I realize it's been quite a while since I've updated this thing, but here's chapter 7 of this installment. 
> 
> The reason why it's been so long, is not something I intend on elaborating on, let's just say that a lot has happened since the last time I posted on this thing. Both good and bad things.
> 
> But here's a new chapter for you, fresh from this "author" (well, fresh 4 years ago, anyway).
> 
> I'll be trying to get back on my feet with this thing from now on. It will likely still be very irregular posting, so if you like this story, I very much suggest you subscribe to it to get the updates that will happen every now and then :)
> 
> Alright, that's all I have to say for now,
> 
> Bento out.

Someone was knocking at the door. I knew it was Ginny. I yelled at her to come in. She was in the kitchen moments later. I was busy cooking. I had decided to cook chilli con carne, one of the few things I was able to cook without setting something on fire. But Ginny didn't have to know. Not yet at least. She glanced around the kitchen while she greeted me,

_"Hello, Hermione. Mum and Ron says hi, too"_

I did not expect her to be right behind me, I was sure she was in the doorway, so I jumped in terror and turned around, and well, since I'm so used to be alone, I had my arm stretched out and managed to hit Ginny in her head, knocking her to the floor.

_"OH GOD! Ohgod, ohgod, oh god. I'm so sorry, Ginny. You just scared me. I am so sorry. I didn't mean to hit you. Oh god. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"_

I was on my knees by her side holding her head in my lap. She on the other hand just groaned and put one hand to her head.

_"Don't worry. I'm just fine. Could use some ice for my head, though. Got some?"_

In my hurry to get her a bag of frozen peas, I forgot about her head in my lap. First I heard a short scream followed by the sound of her head hitting the floor and a low groan.  
I cringed at the sounds. How the hell was it possible to do something like that? Christ. I'm such an idiot. I ran back from the fridge with a pack of peas and got back down on my knees. I put the icepack behind her head and told her to hold it. Somehow I manage to lift her up and carried her to the couch. I sat down on the edge of the couch next to her,

_"I am so sorry, Ginny. I didn't mean to hit you or drop you. I am so, so sorry. I'm just not used to people, and I'm nervous about this dinner and all. And oh my god, your eye.  
It's bruising. Stay here. I'll be right back"_

I ran to the kitchen, ripped open the fridge and found some ice cubes I put in a towel before I ran back and put it on her eye. Careful not to hurt her any more than I already had. Suddenly she laughed. She laughed loud, not able to speak a word. Confused I asked her why she laughed, but that only made her laugh even harder.  
Oh god. I had broken her. Mr. And Mrs. Weasly would kill me. After about 15 minutes of crazy laughing from her and worried looks from me, she managed go calm down again. The next couple of minutes she spent catching her breath again.

_"Ginny? Are you okay? How much did I break you? Maybe I should take you to the hospital, they could save you before you get too broken permanently"._

This was not helping, she just laughed again. Not as badly this time, but I was still worried. I really had broken her. When she was able to talk again a few minutes later, she spoke,

_"No, don't worry. I take hits to my head all the time. I play quidditch, remember?"_

My eyes grew wide.

_"Is that supposed to calm me down? We are going to the hospital right now. We can go to a muggle hospital if you don't want the entire wizarding world to know I almost killed you"_

I stood up and prepared to go.

_"Hermione! I don't need to go to the hospital, I'm not about to turn crazy. I just thought about something my mum said yesterday morning. She is more or less planning our wedding already, you know. She's convinced we are getting married, preferably later tonight. I'm sure she's more excited about us talking again than I am. And well, what I was laughing at, was I imagined how it would be if we actually got married now, it would be interesting if you're not used to having people around. I would be hexed until next Wednesday within the first month"_

I stared at her. Marriage? Christ. How could she think about marriage already? We don't even know each other properly yet. Marriage would be years from now if we even got to that point ever. I was stunned. And Ginny must have seen it because she spoke again, a little more serious this time,

_"Hermione. Relax. We're not getting married. Hell, I don't even consider a relationship at this point. Okay? My only concern at this moment, is to gain your trust again and become your friend again. I don't even think about best friend, yet. Right now I just want you back in my life and earn your trust again. That's my number one priority, okay? Yes, I still love you and all, I always did, but I'm not good enough for you, I don't deserve you after all I said to you. I'm just grateful you want to talk to me. Trust me, mum is just too excited about you. She loves you like you were her own daughter"_

I relaxed a little, but I was still anxious. I was not comfortable with her talking about a relationship between us. Luckily we got interrupted by the smoke alarm.

_"Fuck. The food. I forgot about the food. Fuck!"_

I ran into the kitchen; it was now black with smoke. I found the stove and removed the casseroles from the stove and opened a window to get the smoke out. A few minutes later all the smoke was out, and the smoke alarm was silenced. Ginny stumbled her way to the kitchen while I was throwing the burned food in the bin,

_"Why don't you use magic to remove the smoke and everything?"_

She was curious,

_"I don't use magic"_

I replied harshly. I think I hurt her feelings, because her voice was lower and more careful when she spoke again,

_"May I ask why?"_

I didn't look at her. I couldn't, not right now after what she had just said,

_"I haven't used it since the war. I don't need it. I manage just fine without it"_

My voice was still a little sharp, but not as much. She was silent for a few moments before she said anything again. I'm glad she didn't say anything more on the subject,

_"Hermione, look at me"_

I sighed, but I turned around and asked,

_"What?"_

She looked sad and worried. Her voice was wary,

_"Are you angry with me? For what I just said. I know I shouldn't have said it, but it kind of just fell out. I'm sorry, but it's the truth"_  
She looked at me, anxious about my reaction,

_"Doesn't matter. I just didn't expect it. But I really do think it's a little early talking about relationships and marriage, don't you think? I just think we should focus in getting through this night alive at first, and just take one day at the time, because this is going to take time to get over. You were gone for seven years, and suddenly you are back, I really don't know what to think. I'm so scared I'm so desperate to see you again, that I'm imagining all of this"_

Ginny took a step towards me and spoke,

_"Hermione. You are not imagining this. It's real. I promise you. I mean, it feels like a dream to me as well, but the pain I just felt when I arrived here proves otherwise. I promise you, it's real, all of this"_

She hugged me. It felt good. She pulled away from me, still holding on to me. She looked me in the eyes, we froze in the moment. We stood like that for a few minutes before I broke away. I turned around and went over to continue taking care of the ruined food. Ginny pulled out her wand,

_"Hermione, let me take care of the cleaning"_

And before I had time to react, she flicked her wand and everything started cleaning itself up. I sighed,

_"Okay. Thanks. The only problem now, is what do we eat? Care for pizza?"_

_"Sure, pizza sounds good. Where do we go?"_

I looked at her amused. I had forgotten about how the magic world didn't have take-out delivered at their door,

_"Nowhere. I'll call them with our order, and we get it delivered to the door in a short while"_

_"Really? Wow. That's weird. Dad will go crazy when I tell him about it. I can tell him, right?"_

She looked excited at first, then curious, I just had to laugh at her. People who grew up with magic and muggle things is really funny to watch. They get excited about something as simple as light bulbs and batteries, quite amusing, actually,

_"Go ahead, Ginny, tell him about take-out, tell him about the smoke alarm too, if you want. I'll even take a look and see if I still have my old cell phone somewhere, he would be excited about that one"_

Ginny had a sceptical look at her face,

_"A what? What is that?"_

I laughed again, this was just too hilarious,

_"I'll explain later when I have placed our order"_

I called pizza hut and ordered a large pizza. When I was finished I took Ginny back to the living room to explain the cell phone, but just as I was about to talk, she spoke first;

_"Before you tell me what that seller thing is, you have to tell me one thing"_

She looked at me with a very serious look, like she was the wife who needed to know if her husband was cheating on her. I got worried, but before I had time to say anything she continued,

_"What exactly is this pizza thing you were talking about? I figured it was food, but I just have to know if it's something alive it not. I'm not eating something that moves_

She continued to look at me, I stared at her and blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out if she was serious or not. Then I started laughing really loud, of course she didn't know what pizza was, there were no such thing in the wizard world. I pulled myself together enough to speak, it worked fairly well considering how much laughter I was suppressing,

_"Sorry. It's not really funny, I just never had to explain pizza to anyone before. Okay, well, it's not really easy to explain pizza, but it is food, non-moving food. Very much dead, actually. It should be here in about. 15 minutes, you will find out then. I'm sure you will love it"_

She looked a little less serious, and a little relieved we were having dead food, I let out a small giggle, and to my relief, she smiled to.

_"Now to the cell phone. It's a muggle device that help you contact people and having people contact you. It's kind of like when you put your head in the fireplace and floo someone except they can't see you"_ , I began,

_"Dark muggle magic, that's for sure. Where does it have its brain? This thing is evil, I'm telling you"_

She muttered, just scowling at the phone, turning it around to look at it from all angles. I laughed again,

_"Yes, it is indeed evil, everyone can get a hold of you at every hour of the day. Anyway, you know the incident where Ron called Harry the summer after their first year?"_

_"Yeah, Harry got some real trouble for that one. His uncle almost killed him because of it. Why?"_

She scowled even more, like she was waiting for it to explode or something,

_"Well, it's the same thing, just a portable version of it"_

I put on a reassuring smile hoping to convince her it wasn't dark magic,

_"Told you the thing was evil”_

She muttered as she pressed some buttons. She let out a scream and threw it away as she accidentally unlocked it and the light came on,

_"IT'S ALIVE! IT WILL KILL US ALL!"_

I fell to the floor laughing, this was just too funny, I should have had it taped or something, I would love to see this over and over again later. She gave me a really ugly look now, I guess she didn't find this as funny as I did.

_"I'm sorry Ginny, I don't mean to laugh, but that was just hilarious, you should have seen your face, it was priceless"_

_"Stupid, evil muggle world"_

She muttered under her breath while she crossed her armed and glaring between me and the phone,

_"Oh, Ginny dear, I'm sorry"_

I went over to where she sat and sat down next to her,

_"What can I do to make it up to you for laughing?"_

A small smile crept over her lips, she was thinking about something, but almost like she changed her mind, she just shrugged and said;

_"A hug will do"_

I leaned over and hugged her, with her in my embrace I asked;

_"That's not what you first thought of, was it?"_

I leaned back and looked at her as she shrugged again answered;

_"No, but I decided not to push my luck"_

I just smiled and pulled her in for another hug and whispered in her ear;

_"Thank you. Maybe someday, but not just yet. Thank you"_

Before any of us had time to say it do anything else, the doorbell rang, the pizza was here. I paid the delivery guy and closed the door. I put the box down at the table before I opened it and gestured towards it,

_"Pizza. Delicious, cheesy and simple. Dig in. You'll love it"_

Ginny picked up a slice and stared at it,

_"Are you sure it's safe to eat?"_

I took a bite and burned myself at the hot cheese,

_"No, not really. Be careful, it might burn you. Seriously, the melted cheese is dangerous"_

She looked at me with eyes at the size of plates,

_"Oh come on, Ginny, just try a piece. If you don't like it, I'm sure I can retrieve some chilli con carne from the trash. Go ahead, you won't regret it. I'm going to get some butterbeer, want some? I got them from the leaky cauldron earlier"_

She just nodded, still keeping an eye on the pizza slice in her hand. I went to the kitchen and returned to the living room and Ginny. I found Ginny still scowling at the pizza,

_"Ginny, it's not going to attack you, just try, please"_

She carefully chewed at the corner, still sceptical to the whole thing. A moment later, she smiled,

_"Okay, it tastes funny, but I actually think I like this"_

She more or less threw the rest of the slice down her throat and went for another one. I giggled,

_"I knew you would like it, but trust me, this is far from the best pizza you can eat"_

She looked at me,

_"Really? I'm pretty sure this is the best thing I have eaten that is not something my mum has made"_

I laughed, she sounded excited about the idea of an even better pizza,

_"Yes, really. It's homemade, and tastes a billion times better. You should come over again someday, and I'll make you one, if you want to?"_

She just grinned wide,

_"I would love to. Can we do it tomorrow? I got the day off because of the game Saturday, and really don't have much to so if you don't mind, we could do it tomorrow?"_

She looked at me warily, the poor girl looked so shy, this was a rare sight,

_"Sure we can. I have the day off as well, so we could spend the day together if you want? We could just relax, maybe watch a movie or something? And maybe we could talk a little, you know, sort things out a little? If that won't ruin your game, that is?"_

She looked like she was thinking for a moment before she smiled and answered,

_"That sounds like a good idea, and if it does go wrong, I'm sure it will only help the game"_

I must have looked worried or something, because she quickly added;

_"Hermione, don't worry. It will be fine. We will be fine. Don't worry. Okay?"_

I relaxed a little and shook my head,

_"Still haven't changed, I see"_

We both laughed at this before we continued the meal in silence. After we were finished, she groaned a satisfied groan and spoke;

_"This food will make me fat, won't it?"_

We laughed again,

_"Ginny, not five years of only eating pizza three times a day will make you fat. Everyone else, yes, but just not you"_

She raised an eyebrow, then nodded,

_"Yeah, I guess you are right"_

We just sat in silence for a few minutes. Ginny looked like she was deep in thought, I figured I would find out why soon enough.

_"Hermione? Can I ask you a question? You don't have to answer it, though"_

This had me a little worried, when people asked to ask me a question, well, let's just say it rarely brings any good, but I nodded and signalled for her to go on. She took a deep breath before she spoke again;

_"When I got here on Monday night and Tuesday, the floor was filled with different quidditch magazines along with the empty bottles. Since when did you care about quidditch?"_

I looked at my hands for a moment before I looked back up and answered her;

_"Uhm. That's not an easy question to answer. I will show you instead, but first you must understand something, it's not what it looks like, it's not some stalker thing, alright?"  
_

She looked confused, but nodded. I took her hand and pulled her with me to the closet in my bedroom. I took a deep breath before I opened the door and pulled out a box. I opened it, pulled out the folder and handed it to her,

_"This might seem pathetic and creepy, but please understand how difficult the past 7 years have been for me. This was the only way I could get to know you when you didn't talk to me"_

She looked at me, she was realizing what the folder contained, she nodded,

_"I understand. If this was anyone else, I would have found it creepy, but I think I can understand this when it comes from you"_

She sat down at the bed as she opened the folder, I don't think she knew how to react. Either that, or she had no reaction at all. She just looked at the pages, one by one. Not saying anything. After a few minutes, she closed the folder and put it down on the bed next to her,

_"Well, this was interesting. But I'm not really creeped out, I would have done the same with you, I think. It's just weird seeing it all like this"_  
I looked at her surprised,

_"You're not creeped out? Really? I was so sure you would be. It's not exactly normal, you know. Even I felt like a creep doing this, but I just couldn't help it"_  
She nodded,

_"I know what you mean, just trust me, I don't find it creepy when it's you, I just found it rather unexpected, that's all"_

I was putting the folder back in the box when she noticed the two letters who also was in the box,

_"What are those? Is it the letters I sent you? Please don't say it is"_

I just looked at the letters and nodded. A sad expression appeared on her face as she whispered;

_"I'm sorry. I am so sorry"_

A tear fell to the floor and I went over to wipe away the one who followed. I placed my hand under her chin and lifted her head, forcing her to look at me;

_"Ginny, listen to me. It doesn't matter. It's a part of the past, what matters, is now. You are here, we are working through it. So don't apologize, it's a part of our past, please  
don't think about it anymore"_

She sniffed and nodded. I pulled her in for a reassuring hug. A few moments later we went back to the living room. I decided to head outside and have a cigarette. Yes, I smoke now. Not much, usually just like three or four a day, some times more, some times less. It all depends if something happens that day that stresses me out or not. Today, I was definitely stressed out. I just had to have one now to calm down, even though I had sworn to myself that I wasn't going to let her know about this bad habit of mine, but what the hell,

_"I'm going out to the balcony for a cigarette, would you like to wait here or come with me?"_

She looked confused,

_"A sirrett? What's that?"_

I just smiled at her,

_"A cigarette. Know those pipes with tobacco some wizards smoke? It's kind of like that. It's a bad habit, I know, but after I got back to the muggle world, I took up both smoking and drinking"_

She raised an eyebrow at me and spoke,

_"Aha. Right. Uhm, I'll join you outside, some fresh air would be nice"_

We didn't speak much while we were outside, we just enjoyed the cool October air and each other's company. Actually, we didn't speak much at all the rest of that night, we talked a little while about our day and I told her about my job, how I was working at a bar, but wasn't really happy about it, but since I couldn't put 6 years at Hogwarts and a year looking for horcruxes on my CV, that was the best I could do at the moment. And she told me about how Ron now was a reporter for _"potions of the future"_ , a sub magazine to _"the quibbler"_ , and married to Luna Lovegood. That last part there really took me by surprise. Ron and Luna? Who would have guessed they would end up together? She told me they had six children, three boys and three girls, and Ron had convinced her to name a son and a daughter Harry and Hermione, this had cost him, though, because that meant Luna got to name a son and a daughter without a word from Ron, they were named Gudrilla and Armando. Ron wasn't very happy about those names, but he had gotten Harry and Hermione, so it was only fair, even he said so, but according to Ginny, Luna had actually been thinking about naming two after me and Harry if that was possible, but when Ron had offered her two names, she somehow magically forgot to tell him. The last boy was named after Luna's father, Xenophilius, and the last girl after Ron's mother, Molly. It was nice, I was happy to know that everything had worked out so well for Ron.  
After a while of silence, Ginny glanced at the time, it was almost midnight.

_"Oh man, is it really this late already? I should head back to the Burrow now; mum is probably still awake wondering when the wedding is"_

I laughed this time, I knew now that she wasn't expecting anything at the moment, it was only Mrs. Weasly who was a little too excited about all of this,

_"Yeah, don't keep her waiting. You should tell her it will be in June, just for fun, you know. I can imagine her face if you did"_

Ginny laughed at the idea, probably picturing it herself,

_"You're right, that would be hilarious, but the poor woman would probably have a heart attack or something, and that's not something I wish for her, you know"_

We laughed a little again. It was great to pull some jokes with Ginny again.

_"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll see you tomorrow around noon, then?"_

She came over to stand in front of me,

_"Yes, I'll be knocking on your door around then. I can't wait"_

For a moment, it looked like the redhead was going to lean in for a kiss, but in the end she only hugged me, which I was very grateful for.

_"Good. I'm looking forward to spend the day with you, too"_

I smiled, I really looked forward to tomorrow, an entire day with Ginny. It had been so long since last time.

_"Goodbye, Hermione"_ , she said, and with that, she was gone. 

Just a few more hours until she was back. I could feel excited butterflies replacing my organs. Tomorrow would be an amazing day, I was sure.


	8. Almost lunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so it's been a while since I updated.. But in my defense it's been quite a busy year for me with moving and a new life and everything..  
> I'm not making any promises for when I can upload the next chapter, but I already have the next 10 chapters almost ready, so if I can just manage to get around to fix them, I should be able to get them uploaded in the near(ish) future.
> 
> Alright.. That's all..
> 
> -Bento

I apparated outside, assuming mum was still awake. As I arrived, I could do nothing but grinning wide. I couldn't wait for tomorrow to arrive. I went inside, and was not surprised to find mum sitting by the kitchen table, her hands holding a cup of tea. She looked up at me the moment I stepped inside,

_So? How did it go?_ ,

I just raised an eyebrow at her,

_Hi to you too, mum_

She just glared at me,

_Fine, hi Ginny. How did it go tonight?_ ,

I just shook my head and sat down opposite of her,

_It went great. The wedding is in June_.

Oh, the sarcasm, it was dripping. One of her hands left the table and went to her heart,

_Really? Oh Ginny, that is fantastic. I always knew it would be the two of you. I always knew_

She stood up while she spoke, and went to the stove to cook again as she spoke. I turned around on the chair to look at her,

_Mum, I was joking_ ,

The frying pan barely missed my head before she attacked the stove again, muttering something under her breath about how it's not nice to trick your mum with something like that.

_We have decided to take things really slow and sort everything out before we do anything else, but we won't exclude anything, at the moment. Things can go either way. We'll just take one step at the time and don't rush anything_.

She turned around again and rushed over to embrace me,

_Oh love. I'm just so happy about this. I'm glad you finally pulled yourself together and went to see her. I just wish you would bring her over sometime soon, I would love too see her again. It's been too long since last time I saw her, and you know how I always has been so fond of her_.

I thought for a second before I said anything,

_Mum, I'm going there tomorrow at noon, I'm not promising you anything yet, but I'm planning to take her out for lunch somewhere in London, if she agrees, you could join us. I'm not sure what she thinks of it, but I will ask her tomorrow, if she says yes, I will come and pick you up around 12:30. What do you think about that?_

Her eyes began to sparkle, she obviously loved the idea,

_Oh, would you to that for me? I would love to, but please make sure to let her know that she can decline without hurting my feelings, alright?_  
I smiled. I couldn't deny that I would love to have both Hermione and mum along for lunch. I know it would mean the world to mum to get to see Hermione again.

_Don't worry mum, I'll make sure she knows_.

Mum embraced me again, even tighter this time,

_Thank you so much, Ginny, you have no idea what this means to me_.

She loosened her embrace and went back to the stove. She returned moments later with a plate filled with mountains of toast, eggs and sausages. I ate in silence while mum was just walking around, apparently for no reason at all, I just assumed it was because she was excited about tomorrow. After I finished eating, I yawned and told mum I would be heading for bed now. And with that I headed upstairs and to my bed.

I didn't sleep much that night. I was just tossing and turning, too excited about the next day to sleep.

 

The next morning, I woke up at 8:30. I had finally managed to fall asleep around 6:30, it was a restless sleep, but at least it was something. The smell of coffee and... pancakes? reached me, and went downstairs and found mum already awake and cooking breakfast. I found myself a large mug and filled it with coffee. While I did so, I greeted mum,

_Morning mum. What are you doing?_.

I raised an eyebrow and looked questioningly at her. She had a large load of pancakes in a pile next to her. She never made pancakes for breakfast. She always made egg, bacon, toast and sausages. She looked at me,

_Morning. I'm making pancakes, can't you see?_

She looked confused,

_Yes mum, I can see that, but why? You never make pancakes for breakfast, why the sudden urge?_

She turned back to her cooking, turning a pancake before she answered me,

_Honestly, I have no idea. I just woke up today with a bad craving for pancakes. Trust me, I'm at least as surprised as you are_.

I just laughed, I just didn't know how else to react. She smiled a little as well. I sat down by the table with my mug, enjoying the refreshing taste of the coffee. A few seconds later a plate with a small pile of pancakes arrived in front of me,

_It's more than four hours until you are going to eat lunch, you better eat something now. I wouldn't want to have Hermione see the wrath of hungry Ginny, not yet at least. Wouldn't want to scare her away already_.

I just scowled at her, but I knew she was right, so I dug in instead of answering her. 15 minutes later all the pancakes and coffee were gone. I stood up and headed for the door,

_I'm going to London to find a place to eat. I'll try get back before I go to Hermione’s. If not, I'll see you later today. Remember to be ready for lunch at 1, just in case. Love you mum_ ,

She nodded and came over to hug me, she whispered in my ear,

_Please remember, no guilt. I don't want to intrude_ ,

I sighed,

_I promise to make sure she knows, don't worry. But I have to go now, I'll see you later_.

And with that, I disapparated.

 

Seconds later I appeared in the back of George's store in Diagon alley. The room was empty, he probably was in the front taking care of a customer or five. His store was a success. He now had a store in Hogsmeade as well as a few in America and elsewhere in Europe. I was so proud of my brother. Even after losing his twin, he continued and made great success. I walked out to the front and found him behind the counter. He signalled for me to come over. It was still early, but the store already had quite a few customers. I made my way over to him and greeted him,

_Hi, George. Store's going great, I see_

I smiled at him. A wide grin appeared on his face,

_It's going great, dear sister. I'm thinking of expanding the store and hire one or two people extra, currently we can't fit all the customers in at once, the line of customers  
coming inside is going nearly all the way to the leaky cauldron. You don't happen to know anyone who needs a job, do you? I need one extra employee, preferably last week_.

I opened my mouth, just about to tell him I was sorry, but had no idea of anyone who could use a job right now, but then I remembered what Hermione had said about not being happy with her job, but it was all she could get, I decided to ask her,

_Maybe. I'll ask someone I know later. She might be interested. If she is, I'll bring her by later_.

His face cracked in to the widest grin I had seen in ages,

_Really? That's amazing, Ginny. Who is it?_

I giggled,

_You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I'll just bring her over later today if she is interested, okay?_

He looked a little skeptical, but apparently, he decided he knew better than to question his sister. Wise man.

_You know, if I didn't know better, judging by the look on your face, I would say it was Hermione. You look exactly like you used to look when you spoke of her in our school days, you have just the same sparkle in your eyes. I missed it. When she went away, it was like a part of you died, like she was your Fred, if you know what I mean. Maybe you finally found a way to deal with it, at least for now. Well, whoever it is, I hope he's good enough for you, sis_.

I glared at him,

_First of all, George, Hermione were just a friend to me, not 'my Fred' or something like that. Second of all, I will never wish to find a way to deal with what I did to her, I deserve the pain of what I did, not even a second of it will be gone until the day she tells me she has forgiven me, and even then, the pain I feel will still be there. I deserve it, more than you can possibly know. And third of all, 'whoever he is'? Who says any guy have anything to do with whatever?_

I kept glaring, god how I hated it when he knew stuff. Why did he have to be so bloody observant? He raised an eyebrow,

_No guy, huh? A chick, then. Anyone I know?_

I frowned. Christ. He's unbelievable… And right. Fuck.

_Christ, George, it's none of your bloody business what I do, or who I do, for that matter. Just stay out of my business, you will see when the time is right, don't worry. Anyways, I have stuff to do. I'll bring my friend over later if she is interested in working for you. Bye_.

_Bye, sis. See you later. You could bring your girlfriend over for dinner at the Burrow on Sunday, you know_.

I just ignored him, I hated it when he was like that. When I got out to Diagon alley I glanced at the time, shit, 10:45 already? Stupid George. I rushed to the leaky cauldron and practically ran through it, I was running short of time now, only an hour to find the perfect place for lunch. I quickly walked for a while, carefully looking for a place that looked good enough to bring Hermione. I found this place called _"The Corner"_. I went inside and had a quick look around. This was good enough. I went back out and looked at the time, it was 11:50, I figured I should exchange some money, I could use some muggle-money later, and I was running short. I found an empty alley to disapparate from. I appeared on the stairs of Gringotts, running inside and found a goblin who could help me, luckily, he was very helpful and could provide the help I needed quickly. Five minutes later I was back outside. I decided had no time to waste and apparated to Hermiones backyard. I ran up the stairs and knocked the door. Hermione unlocked the door a few minutes later, she looked like she had just gotten out of bed. She yawned and gestured for me to come inside. I tried to catch my breath as I walked inside and fell on the couch. 

 

Hermione looked at me with a raised eyebrow,

_Have you been running?_.

I held up one finger while I breathed; _One... moment..._

She shook her head and giggled,

_I'll go put on some clothes. It's coffee and tea at the kitchen if you want some when you can move_.

I stayed at the couch. When she came back ten minutes later, she looked at me amused,

_Did you run the stairs at full speed or something?_

I just nodded, she laughed a short laugh,

_Why?_.

_Well, I figured it would be rude to apparate in your apartment, and I thought I wouldn't take the chance of getting killed if I scared you or something_.  
She laughed again,

_Good point. Now, would you like some coffee or tea?_

_Yes please, coffee would be nice_.

She went to the kitchen and got us both a mug. She sat down in the chair, her mind seemed to be somewhere else, but right now I didn't take too much notice of it,

_Hermione?_

She looked at me,

_Yes?_ ,

I took a breath before I continued,

_I'm taking you out for lunch in 30 minutes, since we are cooking here later, I figured it was only fair to buy you lunch. And no, you don't have a saying in this, we are going. Anyways, the thing is, and this you do have a say in, mum has this urgent desire to see you again. She misses you so bad, you have no idea. The thing is, she wanted to join us, but only if you agreed, I also promised to make sure you didn't hurt her feelings if you said no_.

I was nervous, her face didn't show any signs of what she would do or say next. Moments later she stood up, mumbling something about a cigarette. I remained in my seat for a few seconds before I decided to follow. She was already outside, leaning on the rail. She must have heard me come, because as soon as I arrived in the doorway, she spoke, not even looking at me;

_You know, Ginny. When I first saw you again that first night you were here, I was sure it was a dream, and when you came back, I was sure I had gone completely nuts. I mean, how could you possibly be here again? After all these years, suddenly you are back, just the moment I decided to move on. Why? I have been threatening to kill myself god knows how many times, but it was always one of your brothers who saved me, never you. They all told me you would come around if I just gave you a couple of months, if I just wrote you letters telling you what you did to me, but this one time, when I decide to let go, you show up, ready to fight, ready to finally be there for me, now that I don't need you anymore. Where were you 6 years ago when I had a mental breakdown and was locked up at St. Mungo for six months? Where were you when I needed you the most?_

Her voice was ice cold. She didn't look at me once. I took a deep breath before I walked to stand next to her, preparing what to say next,

_Eighty-seven. That's how many times you said you would kill yourself. And each time I commanded one of my brothers to go check on you, because I was too much of a coward to do it myself. Each time I was at home, crying my eyes out, not talking to anyone until whichever brother I had shipped off in your direction returned. Each time I was sure that my last chance had been lost, and each time my brother returned with good news, I swore that if it happened again, I would go myself, but I always failed. I was too much of a coward to come myself. You have no idea how much I hate myself for what I did. I will always pay for it with the pain in my soul of knowing what I did to you. When you were at St. Mungo, each night I went there, talking to the healers, trying to find the courage to see you, once again I failed myself. I know I never was there for you When you needed it, but I intend to change it now, I wish to be a part of your life again, I wish to earn your trust again, I wish to be everything I haven't been the past 7 years. I wish to work hard to earn my place in your life again_.

Silence. Neither one of us said as word for a few minutes, not until she suddenly sighed and spoke,

_Okay_.

I was confused, okay what? I just looked at her, she then continued,

_Okay, tell Mrs. Weasly I'm fine with it. But remember, take things slowly, I don't know if I'm really ready to do this yet, but I'm willing to try_.

I shed a tear. Hermione just looked confused at me.

_It's nothing, I'm just glad you are willing to try. And I promise, it's only for lunch, then I will apparate her back to the Burrow and return to you as soon as possible, I promise_.

She just looked at me again,

_It's fine, I just.. I don't know. I just hope she doesn't hate me or blame me for Fred like you did or anything like that. I'm just scared, you know_ ,

I grabbed her arms and held her,

_Hermione, is there any chance in hell mum would love to join us for lunch if she hated you? You think she would almost beg me to ask you to come over for Sunday dinner and Christmas if she hated you? Just don't worry, it will all be okay, I promise you_.

I pulled her in for a hug,

_Don't worry, everyone misses you, but we'll take one step at the time_.

I glanced at the time,

_Oh shit! I'll be right back, I just have to pick up mum, she's probably thinking you have declined or something. I'll be back in less than a minute_.

 

And with that I disapparated.


	9. Lunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is from Mrs. Weaslys POV.

I was pacing around in the kitchen, glancing at the time every now and then, by the time it was 1:30, I was giving up, and maybe Hermione didn't want to have me around? Not that I could blame her, I was sure it would be too much too soon. After all, it was only a few days since she had gotten Ginny back, it would be too much with anyone else too, I was sure of that. 

Suddenly, around 1:45 I heard a small crack outside the kitchen door. It flew open, then closing half a second later. Suddenly I heard Ginny's voice, _"sorry I'm late mum. No time for explaining, let's go. We have to apparate, I'm sorry about that,"_

Shoot. She knows how I hate to apparate, but I'm sure she had her reasons. I held my breath as we began to move, then it felt like someone was trying to pull me through a needle eye. I found this way of travelling rather painful, but what didn't I do for my daughter and my adopted daughter?   
We materialized in a small hallway, I felt slightly disoriented as I looked around and asked Ginny where we were. She didn't answer me, just grabbed my hand and pulled me to one of the doors. When I got to the other side, I saw a simple apartment where you first arrived in the living room with the kitchen to the right, one more door next to the kitchen, one straight ahead with windows that lead to the balcony and another door to the left. 

Suddenly Ginny spoke, _"blimey, mum. You're so pale. That apparation wasn't very kind to you, was it?"_

Now that she mentioned it I felt rather dizzy, _"I guess not. I think I need to sit down for a moment,"_ Ginny lead me over to the couch and sat me down.   
_"You want some tea? Hermione has some in the kitchen, I'm sure she won't mind,"_ Ginny looked worried.

I felt rather worried that if I tried to speak, something else would come up, something like breakfast perhaps, so I settled on a very careful nod towards her. She lovingly stroked her hand over my head and with a guilty look, she headed into the kitchen and put the kettle on. 

A few minutes later the tea was gone, and I felt safe to speak again, _"now, where is Hermione anyways?"_

She started to look around, clearly not having been too worried about her friends’ whereabouts up until this point, _"She's either in the bathroom getting ready, it at the balcony calming down. I'll go look for her soon. First, I need to make sure you are okay, because we will have to apparate to the restaurant again when Hermione is ready,”_

I sighed. Great, more apparating. If it were for Hermione I would have made Ginny walk me to her apartment and let me take the floo back home,   
_"I'll be just fine. Go find her, make sure she's okay,"_

She went to the balcony first, I guess she wasn't there, because she returned right away, she then went for the door who I had seen at my left when we arrived. I guess she wasn't there either. The last door, the one next to the kitchen, was locked. Ginny knocked a couple of times before I heard the door unlock. She disappeared through it and stayed there for a few minutes. When she came back, she was followed by Hermione.   
I nearly jumped up from the couch and leaped over to her, but as I was halfway there, I remembered something Ginny had said about being careful not to scare her.  
Poor Hermione, so alone for so long. I stood in front of her; she shyly mumbled something like _"hello, Mrs. Weasly. It's good to see you again,"_ She was mostly looking at her shoes as she spoke. 

I couldn't stop myself; I clasped my arms around her and gave her a tight hug. At first she just sort of stiffened, but as soon as she got over the first shock, I felt her arms wrap around me. I just had to smile; it had been so long since last time. God, how I missed having her around, she and Ginny were always hanging together. You would never see one of them without the other when Hermione came over to the Burrow during the holidays. 

I finally let her go, I felt a little awkward as I looked at her again. It was the first time in nearly seven years I saw her, and I acted like I met her on the station for Easter break, and it had been the first time I saw her since the summer vacation. I just ignored the feeling of awkwardness and hugged her again, _"I have missed you so badly, love. You have no idea. I'm just so happy to have the chance of you being a part of the family again, love,"_ A tear rolled down my cheek, this was almost too good to be true. I was still embracing Hermione when Ginny tapped my shoulder, _"I'm sorry to interrupt this touching reunion, but I'm starving now,"_  
I kept my face straight and spoke to Hermione, _"we should go, then. You probably remember how grumpy Ginny could get when you were in school?"_   
she just nodded, looking a little worried, _"well, she's worse now, so if you wish to keep all your limbs, we should have left five minutes ago,"_

She giggled. Oh, what a wonderful sound. Ginny just glared at me, but reached out both her hands to us to apparate us all there. I figured Hermione didn't know where we were going either. I looked at her again; she had frozen and was now pale white. I wondered why. She was always the best one at almost everything she did, including apparation, what had changed? 

Ginny looked at the brunette and spoke softly, _"Hermione? I know it's probably been a while since you did this, but just look at me, everything will be fine. If you do this, I promise we can travel back here in whatever way you decide. Okay?"_

She barely nodded before she took a deep breath and grabbed Ginny's hand. I did the same thing, and moments later we appeared in an alley somewhere in London.  
Hermione looked very pale, I went over to her and grabbed one of her arms, and Ginny did the same thing on the other side. Together we nearly carried her to the other side of the street where it was a small restaurant called _the corner_ ,

Ginny gestured for us to go inside. The restaurant was cosy, sort of old fashioned, with stalls and everything. It was just amazing. We sat down in a private stall in a corner and a waitress came to hand is some menus. We all looked though them, deciding on what to eat, when suddenly Hermione disappeared, we looked up and Ginny ran after her, barely mumbling an excuse before she left, leaving me there all alone. Not quite sure what to do, I decided to keep looking at the menu and try to decide what to have.   
A few minutes later they returned. Hermione came with an apology, explaining she wasn't really used to apparate as she hadn't done it in seven years. I found myself surprised at this information, seven years? Yes, I heard Ginny say something about it being a while, but seven years? Ginny noticed my confused look and glanced at Hermione, as if to get permission to tell the story. Still pale, she just nodded and Ginny began to tell, 

_"Hermione hasn't used any kind of magic for the last seven years. The only thing she has had to do with the magical world is owling me and sometimes Ron, healers, quidditch magazines and firewhiskey. She has suffered from depression and has refused to use her wand and everything. She has pretty much lived as a muggle the past years. I'm not quite sure why,_ my daughter looked defeated as she finished her sentence, _but I'm pretty sure I can be blamed for that,"_   
I just stared at them both. How could Hermione blame Ginny for something like that? Hermione just shook her head before she spoke, more to Ginny than to anyone else, 

_"You're not to blame. Just the moment when the war ended I had enough. I decided to live as a muggle and just get away from it for a while, I just hoped you would be there with me, and the second you told me off I decided to move away and become a part of the muggle world for good, and it worked well the first 6 months, but then I bought an owl and started to write Ginny those letters, a month later I discovered that muggle alcohol wasn't strong enough to let me forget, yes I know it was a bad decision and all, so I turned to firewhiskey. Five months later I had a mental breakdown and was hospitalized at St. Mungo for six months. When I got out I stayed away from the firewhiskey until about a year later when someone sent me a note and a magazine with Ginny in it. Then it all came back to me and I just began drinking again. I knew how Ginny was blaming me for Fred's death, and how she didn't want me around, and I just wished I could be there through it all for her with quidditch and everything. I hated myself for not being able to do that, I started to blame myself, believing I rally was personally responsible for Fred's death, and not only his, but everyone else. I drank heavily to forget it all. I'm not proud of this, but I have decided to quit drinking now. The night when Ginny showed up that first time, I was sure I had gone completely nuts and was prepared to get myself locked up at St. Mungo for good, I mean, hallucinations about Ginny couldn't be good, you know. Not after all this time, so I'm working to quit drinking, haven't had a sip since then,"_   
As she went on telling her story, I’d gone pale. I could feel the colour slowly fading from my face, 

_"Mum? What's wrong?"_ Ginny looked worried, and Hermione was still looking at her hands in her lap, I think she was ashamed to have spilled everything about her past seven years the way she had. I'm sure she never intended to. I was shocked to learn that she had been drinking heavily for so long. Hermione, she was so strong in every way, what had happened to her? Ginny was stroking her back to soothe her. I leaned over the table towards Hermione and spoke, _"Hermione? Don't worry; everything is going to be just fine, I promise. Just the fact that you have decided to quit the drinking, proves how strong you are. Besides, you have me and Ginny here now, and we will be here to support you through all of this. You are not alone, love,"_ She looked up and smiled carefully while she wiped a few tears, "thank you. Both of you", she was barely whispering. I squeezed the hand I was now holding on to and smiled reassuringly to her.

The waitress appeared again and asked us if we were ready to order yet, we all ordered something called fish and chips. Must be some kind of a muggle dish, but Hermione had recommended it, and even though both Ginny and I were sceptical to this new dish, it turned out to be rather delicious, not the best I have tasted, but it was tasty. The lunch was eaten in a much lighter mood, we laughed and enjoyed each other's company, and all too soon we had to leave.   
Both Ginny and Hermione had been insisting to pay, in the end Ginny had won, but only after a couple of threats of joining me back to the Burrow.   
When Ginny finally had managed to pay, we went outside. The weather was nice considering the time of the year, with a little sun and hardly any wind at all. It was still chilly, but for once it felt good. 

_"Maybe we should walk to the leaky cauldron instead of apparating any more today? Then you could take the floo back home, and I and Hermione could get something to drink and relax a little before we head back to her apartment. What do you think of that?"_ Both me and Hermione sighed in relief and agreed.   
We were at the leaky cauldron just a few minutes later. The walk there had been in silence. I prepared to leave and hugged them both goodbye. I shed a tear again. I found it difficult to leave Hermione again so soon after I finally had reunited with her, _"It's been a pleasure seeing you again, Mrs. Weasly. Maybe the three of us could have lunch again soon?"_ I could feel my face crack into a wide grin, the widest in ages. I was so glad she asked, that meant that she was planning to stick around for a while now. I had finally gotten my lost daughter back after nearly seven years. Oh, how wonderful this day was.   
I hugged her again and whispered to her, not quite able to speak much, _"I would love to, darling, I would love to,"_ I shed a tear again as I stepped into the fireplace and waved them goodbye. Next thing I know I'm standing at my kitchen floor grinning. Arthur was already sitting by the kitchen table, waiting for me to tell about the lunch. I embraced him, 

_"Oh Arthur, you won't believe this, it's a miracle. She's back, Arthur. She really is back to stay."_


	10. Time for lunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo... Been a while since I updated this.. Between moving countries (twice), getting back to the real world, starting a new job and everything else, staying focused and motivated have been rather hard, to be honest.  
> I could say that I swear I will get better at posting and all that, but I think it's safe to say that the next chapters will be here when they are. I'll try to get back into a routine, but I can't really promise anything. But I will definitely try! I have missed working on this fic, and I really want to carry on, both for my own sake and for those of you still following this.
> 
> I hope you will enjoy this chapter. This was definitely more of a challenge to write, considering it's from Mrs. Weasly's POV. 
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are much appreciated!
> 
> -Bento

I was pacing around in the kitchen, glancing at the time every now and then, by the time it was 1:30, I was giving up, thinking maybe Hermione didn't want to have me around? Not that I could blame her, I was sure it would be too much too soon, after all, it was only a few days since she had gotten Ginny back, it would be too much with anyone else too, I was sure of that. Suddenly, around 1:45 I heard a small crack outside the kitchen door. It flew open, then closing half a second later. Suddenly I heard Ginny's voice,

_"Sorry I'm late mum. No time for explaining, let's go. We have to apparate, I'm sorry about that"_. 

Shoot. She knows how I hate to apparate, but I'm sure she had her reasons. I held my breath as we began to move, then it felt like someone was trying to pull me through a needle eye. I found this way of travelling rather painful, but what didn't I do for my daughter and my adopted daughter? 

We materialized in a narrow hallway, I felt slightly disoriented as I looked around and asked Ginny where we were. She didn't answer me, just grabbed my hand and pulled me to one of the doors. When I got to the other side, I saw a simple apartment where you first arrived in the living room with the kitchen to the right, one more door next to the kitchen, one straight ahead with windows that lead to the balcony and another door to the left. Suddenly Ginny spoke, 

_"Blimey, mum. You're so pale. That apparation wasn't very kind to you, was it?"_

Now that she mentioned it I felt rather dizzy, _"I suppose not. I think I need to sit down for a moment"._

Ginny lead me over to the couch and sat me down, _"Do you want some tea? Hermione has some in the kitchen, I'm sure she won't mind"._

Ginny looked worried. My poor girl, I'm supposed to take care of her, not the other way around, but right now everything was spinning too fast for me to care, so I just nodded carefully, afraid that if I spoke, something very different would come out, something like breakfast. I had no desire of a reprise of this mornings meal, so instead I just nodded and waited for Ginny to return with the tea. 

A few minutes later the tea was gone, and I felt well enough to speak again, 

_"Now, where is Hermione anyway?"_

Ginny started to look around. Apparently, she hadn't been thinking of her whereabouts, too busy making sure I was okay, I'm sure. 

_"She's either in the bathroom getting ready, it at the balcony calming down. I'll go look for her soon. First, I need to make sure you are okay, because we will have to apparate to the restaurant again when Hermione is ready”._

I sighed. Great, more apparating. If it weren’t for Hermione I would have made Ginny walk me to her apartment and let me take the floo back home, 

_"I'll be just fine. Go find her, make sure she's okay"._

She went to the balcony first, I guess she wasn't there, because she returned right away, she then went for the door that I had seen at my left when we arrived. I guess she wasn't there either. The last door, the one next to the kitchen, was locked. Ginny knocked a couple of times before I heard the door unlock. She disappeared through it and stayed there for a few minutes. When she came back, she was followed by Hermione. I nearly jumped up from the couch and leaped over to her, but as I was halfway there, I remembered something Ginny had said about being careful not to scare her. 

Poor Hermione, so alone for so long. I stood in front of her; she shyly mumbled something like 

_"Hello, Mrs. Weasly. It's good to see you again"_. 

She was mostly looking at her shoes as she spoke. I couldn't stop myself; I clasped my arms around her and gave her a tight hug. At first she just sort of stiffened, but as soon as  
she got over the initial shock, I felt her arms wrap around me. I just had to smile. It had been so long since last time. God, how I missed having her around, she and Ginny were always hanging together. You would never see one of them without the other when Hermione came over to the Burrow during the holidays. God how I missed her.  
Reluctantly, I let her go. 

I felt a little awkward as I looked at her again. It was the first time in nearly seven years I saw her, and I acted like I met her on the station for Easter break, and it was the first time I saw her since the summer vacation. I just ignored the feeling of awkwardness and hugged her again, 

_"I have missed you so much, dear. You have no idea. I'm just so happy to have the chance of you being a part of the family again, love"._

A tear rolled down my cheek, this was almost too good to be true. I was still embracing Hermione when Ginny tapped my shoulder, 

_"I'm sorry to interrupt this touching reunion, but I'm starving now"._

I kept my face straight and spoke to Hermione, 

_"We should go, then. You probably remember how grumpy Ginny could get when you were in school?"_

She just nodded, looking a little worried, 

_"Well, she's worse now, so if you wish to keep all your limbs until the end of the day, we should have left five minutes ago"._  
She giggled. Oh, what a wonderful sound. Ginny just glared at me, but reached out both her hands to us to apparate us all there. I figured Hermione didn't know where we were going either. I looked at her again; she had frozen and was now pale white. 

_Why?_

She was always the best one at almost everything she did, including apparation, what had changed? Ginny spoke, 

_"Hermione? I know it's probably been a while since you did this, but just look at me, everything will be fine. If you do this, I promise we can travel back here in whatever way you decide. Okay?"_

She barely nodded before she took a deep breath and grabbed Ginny's hand. I did the same thing, and moments later we appeared in an alley somewhere in London. Hermione looked very pale, I went over to her and grabbed one of her arms, and Ginny did the same thing on the other side. Together we nearly carried her to the other side of the street where it was a small restaurant called _the corner_.

Ginny gestured for us to go inside. The restaurant was cosy, sort of old fashioned, with stalls and everything. It was just amazing. We sat down in a private stall in a corner and a waitress came to hand is some menus. We all looked through them, deciding on what to eat.  
Then suddenly Hermione disappeared, we looked up and Ginny ran after her, barely mumbling an excuse before she left. So now I sat there all alone, not quite sure what to do. I decided to keep looking at the menu and try to decide what to have. 

A few minutes later they returned. Hermione came with an apology, explaining she wasn't really used to apparate as she hadn't done it in several years. I found myself surprised at this information. Years? Yes, I heard Ginny say something about it being a while, but several years? Ginny noticed my confused look and glanced at Hermione, as if to get permission to tell the story. Still pale, she just nodded and Ginny began to tell, 

_"Hermione hasn't used any kind of magic for the last seven years. The only thing she has had to do with the magical world is owling me and sometimes Ron, healers, quidditch magazines and firewhiskey. She has suffered some kind of depression and has refused to use her wand and everything. She has pretty much lived as a muggle these the past years. I'm not quite sure why, but I'm pretty sure I can be blamed for that"._

I just stared at them both. How could Hermione blame Ginny for something like that? Hermione just shook her head before she spoke, more to Ginny than to anyone else,

_"You're not to blame. Just the moment when the war ended I had enough. I decided to live as a muggle and just get away from it for a while, I just hoped you would be there with me, and the second you told me off I decided to move away and become a part of the muggle world for good, and it worked well the first 6 months, but then I bought an owl and started to write Ginny those letters. Five months later I had a mental breakdown and was hospitalized at St. Mungo for six months. When I got out I stayed away from the firewhiskey until about a year later when someone sent me a note and a magazine with Ginny in it. Then it all came back to me and I began drinking again. I knew how Ginny was blaming me for Fred's death, and how she didn't want me around, and I just wished I could be there through it all for her with quidditch and everything. I hated myself for not being able to do that. I started to blame myself, believing I really was personally responsible for Fred's death, and not only his, but everyone else. I drank heavily to forget it all. I'm not proud of this, but I have decided to quit drinking now. The night when Ginny showed up that first time, I was sure I had gone completely nuts and was prepared to get myself locked up at St. Mungo for good, I mean, hallucinations about Ginny couldn't be good, you know. Not after all this time, so I'm working to quit drinking, haven't had a sip in 6 days"._

I went pale as she spoke, however, at the end of her speech I regained a little color, but not enough, 

_"Mum? What's wrong?"_

Ginny looked very worried, and Hermione was still looking at her hands in her lap, I think she was ashamed because I now had learned about her past seven years, I'm sure she never intended to. I was shocked to learn that she had been drinking heavily for so long. Hermione, she was so strong in every way, what had happened to her? Ginny was stroking her back to soothe her. I leaned over the table towards Hermione and spoke, 

_"Hermione? Don't worry; everything is going to be just fine, I promise. Just the fact that you have decided to quit the drinking, proves how strong you are. Besides, you have me and Ginny here now, and we will be here to support you through all of this. You are not alone, love"._

She looked up and smiled carefully while she wiped a few tears, 

_"Thank you. Both of you",_

She was barely whispering. I squeezed the hand I was now holding on to and smiled reassuring to her.  
The waitress appeared again and asked us if we were ready to order yet, we all ordered something called fish and chips. Must be a muggle dish, but Hermione had recommended it, and even though both I and Ginny were sceptical to this new dish, it turned out to be rather delicious, not the best I have tasted, but it was tasty. 

The lunch was eaten in a much lighter mood, we laughed and really enjoyed each other's company now, and all too soon we had to leave. Both Ginny and Hermione had been insisting to pay, in the end Ginny had won, but only after a couple of threats of joining me back to the Burrow. I found this rather amusing to watch.  
When Ginny finally had managed to pay, we went outside. The weather was nice considering the time of the year, with a little sun and hardly any wind at all. It was still chilly, but for once it felt good. 

_"Maybe we should walk to the leaky cauldron instead of apparating any more today? Then you could take the floo back home, and Hermione and I could get a butterbeer and relax a little before we head back to her apartment. What do you think of that?"_  
Both me and Hermione sighed in relief and agreed. We were at the leaky cauldron just a few minutes later. The walk there had been in silence. I prepared to leave and hugged them both goodbye. I shed a tear again. I found it difficult to leave Hermione again so soon after I finally had reunited with her, 

_"It's been a pleasure seeing you again, Mrs. Weasly. Maybe the three of us could have lunch again soon?"_

I could feel my face crack into a wide grin, the widest in ages, I was so glad she asked, that meant that she was planning to stick around for a while now. I had finally gotten my lost daughter back after nearly seven years. Oh, how wonderful this day was. I hugged her again and whispered to her, not quite able to speak much, 

_"I would love to, darling, I would love to"._

I shed a tear again as I stepped into the fireplace and waved them goodbye. Next thing I know I'm standing at my kitchen floor grinning. Arthur is already sitting in the kitchen, waiting for me to tell about the lunch. I embraced him, 

_"Oh Arthur, you won't believe this, it's a miracle. She's back, Arthur. She really is back to stay"._


	11. Who need baby steps anyway?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is. Originally this was written as two chapters, but since I don't particularly like neither of them, I'll just post them as one, just to get them out of the world.
> 
> So you know... Enjoy. 
> 
> And as always, kudos and comments is always appreciated.
> 
> -Bento

We said goodbye to Mrs. Weasly and went over to the counter. I was still a little shaky after both the apparation and telling Mrs. Weasly about my past seven years. That was a large step I hadn't been prepared to take. Not yet, at least. Ginny ordered two butterbeers and we sat down at a table in the corner. I must have looked a little distant, because suddenly Ginny asked me, worry in her voice;

"Are you okay, Hermione? I'm sorry. This went bad. I shouldn't have let mum come with us today".

I looked up at her, I could see the worry in every inch of her face, I shook my head,

"Don't worry. I'm glad she knows. And I'm glad you know the other things I told. I'm just still a little shaky after the apparation and how much I let your mother know, that's all. You have nothing to apologize for".

She let out a sigh, glad I didn't blame her for anything. I think that meant a lot to her. She took another deep breath before she spoke again,

"I'm aware this might be way too much for you today, but I need to ask you something. Remember George's store?"

I just nodded, afraid of where this was leading.

"Do you know how well it has been going?"

I just shook my head; I didn't know anything about it.

"Well, it's been going great. He has more than 50 stores all over Europe and America,"

My eyes grew wide. Wow. That is amazing. I truly was happy for him,

"Well, the thing is, he has been planning to expand the store here in Diagon alley, so that he can fit in all the customers, at this point there is lines all the way over here just to get inside. He's doing really great! Well, the thing is, he needs more employees, and he wondered if I knew someone who needed a job. I remember how you said you didn't like your current job that much and I thought I would ask you,"

She gave me an uncertain glance, almost scared of saying the words,

Now, he doesn't know I was going to ask you, he doesn't even know I'm talking to you again yet. And I promised I would bring you by today if you were interested. You can say no of course, I just thought I should ask you".

She looked anxious, I think she hate to ask me things, afraid of what I might say. I took a deep breath, not sure what to say. If I did this, it would mean that I was going back to the wizarding world, a world I had been avoiding as much as possible. But if I didn't do this, I had no right to complain about my current job either, and I had been looking for something different lately, but was I ready for this?

I took another deep breath,

"What will he expect me to do, if I do this?".

Ginny let out a sigh of relief, now that I wasn't going to run anywhere, she was safe again,

"Well, first he will think he is dreaming, so he will probably expect you to burst into flames or something, then when he realizes you’re real, he will accuse me of pulling a really bad joke on him, then we will have to convince him it's no joke, you really are here again”,

She took a deep breath, obviously still nervous,

”But in the store, I don't think he will expect too much, he will probably place you in the back with mail orders at first, because we will have to tell him about you avoiding the magic world, he would be easy on you, don't worry. He has missed you too much to risk anything, just like me".

I took another deep breath. This was going too fast for me, I wasn't really ready to meet any more old friends, but if I were to be in the back, I think I could survive this, 

"Okay. I'll give it a try. I'm not promising anything yet, but I will give it a try".

Ginny jumped up squealing and ran over to my side of the table to hug me,

"Thank you, Hermione. You have no idea how happy I am right now, and how happy George will be".

I let out a short laugh before I became dead serious again,

"Are you sure he will be okay with it being me? I mean, even you blamed me for Fred's death, for all I know, he does to, you know".

I felt tears were about to come, I really didn't know what the rest of the family was thinking of me, and George had after all been Fred's twin and best friend. Ginny pulled away and went down on her knees in front of me; she was very serious when she spoke,

"Hermione. I was the only one stupid enough to blame you for anything. George almost went through the roof in fury when he found out what I said to you. God knows how many times he tried to make me go see you. He probably was the one who took it the worst, even worse than mum, so don't worry. He will be thrilled to see you again, I promise".

Ginny took a deep breath before she continued talking,

“Besides, he is the one I sent over the most when I needed to check up on you, remember? He wouldn’t have came if he blamed you, would he?”

I lowered my head, looking at my own knees while barely nodding.

The redhead lifted my head and gave me a reassuring smile,

"Alright then. I believe you. I'll give it a try".

Ginny stood up from the floor and hugged me again,

"Do you feel up to go and see him now, or would you want to wait a few days or so?"

I just shrugged,

"Might as well get this over with, right?"

She let out a sigh, like she was relieved

"Oh, thank God. I promised I would bring you over today"

Ginny nearly dragged me away from the half-filled bottles of butterbeer and over to the fireplace that was used for the floo network. It was better to just floo right into his office,   
rather than having to deal with the customers in line and the people that would surely stare. I swallowed a big lump in my throat and took a deep breath before I stepped into the green flames that was licking against the walls of the fireplace.

Ginny went straight for the door that led to the shop in the front to retrieve her brother. Amazed I looked around the office. The walls were bright red and decorated with large letters, WWW. The desk was covered in parchments and quills. Pictures of the Weasleys was hung up on the backwall, the largest one being one of Fred and George laughing in the snow at Hogwarts, playing with some fireworks I recognized from their early development of their business.

I heard voices coming towards the door and felt panic starting to build up in my chest. I quickly ran over to a corner with several boxes stacked up against the wall. I pushed them away and hid behind them. Almost as if they were a fortress that could protect me from facing all of this.

The door creaked open and I could hear Ginny speaking,

“Like I said, I can’t make any promises, but my friend agreed to meet with you. Just talk to her and hear her out. I know it won’t be easy for her, but please just be patient with her, alright?”

George’s annoyed voice filled the room as the door closed behind them,

“I’m telling you sis, I don’t need anyone to do the mail orders. I need someone that can be in the front and deal with the customers. I already have enough house elves packing up and shipping off”.

“And you will get it eventually. Just please don’t make up your mind before you even meet with her”.

Ginny’s voice was final when she ended her sentence.

George’s was filled with annoyance when he spoke again,

“Well? Where is she, then? If this is some joke, it’s really not funny.”

It was strange hearing him talk like this. It was as if all joy had left him. He sounded busy and hollow. There was no trace of the warmth and fun he was back at Hogwarts. I tried to remember if this was how he had sounded like when he had come to see me all those times, but I couldn’t be sure. It didn’t sound familiar at all, but then again, I had also been very drunk when he had been there. Maybe this was who he was now. A strict and hollow man, affected by the war and loss of his brother.

I heard his steps walking away from me. Not to the door, but to a different part of the room.

I took a deep breath as I stepped out from behind the boxes. Ginny positively beamed when she saw me appear.

I was stepping back in the magic world again, and it seemed like I was staying there, too.   
Somehow my shoes were suddenly very interesting and hard to look away from. I heard George speak, I glanced up and saw he had his back turned to me, looking for something   
in the shelves behind his desk,

“Hi, George,” I muttered under my breath.

His body went still, as if he recognized my voice but didn’t dare to be certain until he had some sort of proof.

"Hello there, Mrs... Excuse, what's your name? My sister failed to inform me of that tiny bit of information",  
I was barely whispering,

"It's miss. I'm Granger, Hermione Granger".

He didn't hear what I said, or maybe he just didn’t believe his own ear,

"I'm sorry, what were you saying? I didn't hear..."

He went silent. He had just turned around and seen me. He looked to Ginny, then back at me for a few times. His mouth was wide open. I don't think he was able to speak at the moment. After a few moments he regained his voice,

"H-H-Hermione? Is that really you?"

I just nodded, not quite sure if it had been the right thing to come here in the first place. Ginny just stood there with her stupid, wide grin. She was definitely pleased with herself. I was about to turn around and walk away, back to my apartment and hide away for ever when George suddenly ran across the room and grabbed my arm,

"Is it really you, Hermione? This isn’t just some stupid prank my sister is pulling on me?"

Okay, we skipped the part where he thinks this is a dream and went straight to the theory of a prank,

"It's really me, George. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here. I'll leave now. Goodbye".

I tried to turn around again, but he pulled me back,

"What are you talking about? If it's really you, you have no idea how great this is. You have no idea how much I have been hoping for this day to come. By Merlin’s beard Hermione. 

It's so good to see you again. I have missed you so much",

He pulled me in for a hug. After a few moments he pulled back and held me on an arm lengths distance, taking a good look at me,

"It really is you. Wow. How have you been? Why haven't you come seen me? I'm sure you must have been around here at some point?"

I just looked to the floor. I felt a little guilty now that I knew he didn't blame me,

"Actually I have been living just a 15 minute walk away from the leaky cauldron the past six months. I have just been avoiding the magical part of the world since the war".

He looked shocked at the statement,

"Really? The brightest witch of our age avoiding the magic world? Merlin’s beard, girl. Why? You could have gotten anything in this world that you wanted. Anything at all,"

He paused for a moment and glared at Ginny,

"Well, almost anything, that is. Stupid ass over there just didn't know her own good, you know".

Ginny glared back at him. I giggled, "I guess you're right",

He looked back at me, and a wide grin appeared on his face,

"Well, I'm just glad she finally pulled her head out of her golden ass and brought you back".

I couldn't help myself, I just had to smile. He patted my shoulder and went back to his desk,

"Now, back to business, Granger. So, you would like to work for me, is that so?"

I repressed a giggle. It was strange hearing him this formal in his speech.

"Yes sir. I would like to try working for you".

He smiled at me; I guess he was just joking about being this formal. Ginny just raised an eyebrow and looked amused,

"Would you like to try a position at our mail order department? My sister informs me you wouldn't feel ready to work with customers yet as you haven't been a part of this world   
for a while, and you are quite famous",

My eyes widened at this new information. I quickly moved my gaze to Ginny and glared at her,

"Famous? Ginny? What the hell is he talking about?"

Ginny's eyes widened,

"Crap! I'm so sorry, Hermione. I completely forgot to tell you about it. The thought never really occurred to me since it was you and I sort of thought you already knew about it. I   
am so sorry".

She took a step backwards and raised her hands in defence. I was sure that if I attacked her she wouldn't fight me; she would probably think she deserved it, but I decided to blame Ron. After all he had been writing me letters and he could have mentioned it to me. Besides, I guess I should have guessed it, after all I was a part of the trio who finally ended Voldemort, but I had never really thought of it, I had been living in the muggle world avoiding the magic world for seven years. I sighed,

"It's okay. I guess I should have guessed it. Besides, if anyone should be blamed, it's Ron. He could have said something in one of his letters".

I turned back to George who still looked kind of shocked of me not knowing.

"Yes, Mr. Weasly. I would love to take the position in the mail order department. As you said, haven't been a part of this world for a while, and I'm probably a little famous too, and I don't really feel ready to face all of that just yet. Just coming here today is more than I was sure I could handle".

George seemed to have problems not to laugh,

"Wonderful. Well, since I already know you are the greatest witch of our age, I would like to offer you the opportunity and ask you to come for your first day on Monday".

Oh shoot. Magic. I probably had to do magic at work. I turned my back to George and started to swear under my breath. Ginny was quickly by my side and laid an arm around me,

"Hermione, if you are worried about doing magic, stop it. You were always the brightest one at school, and I am sure things haven't changed. Besides, you will only have to deal with simple magic, like getting things and addressing, so don't worry, you can do this".

I looked at Ginny, I was worried about this, and Ginny spoke again,

"Look, if you think things are that bad, I'll help you tonight, okay?"

I nodded and turned back to face George,

"Alright. I'll be here Monday morning then",

George grinned widely again and rose to shake my hand,

"Wonderful, I'm looking forward to be working with you".

I smiled. This had gone better than expected, things were about to get back to where they used to be, and that was good. Right?

"Oh, Ginny. I don't think I'll be able to make it to your game tomorrow, but good luck. I know you can do it, you are the best, after all".

He waved us goodbye as we flooed out.

The next minutes went by without me really noticing, I was just thinking about how I had pushed so many limits today. First meeting with Mrs. Weasly, then apparating followed by telling Mrs. Weasly about the past seven years before I had pushed the biggest one, stepping back to the magic world and gotten a job at George's store in Diagon alley. Suddenly we were standing outside my apartment. How the hell did we get here without me noticing? I just shook my head and went inside. I went for the elevator, the backyard might be an apparationpoint, but it was still a muggle building. I pushed the button to get it here. Ginny gave me a sceptical look, clearly wondering why I just stood and waited in front of the wall,

"It's an elevator, Ginny. You have the same thing in the ministry, except this one only goes up and down. Now get here or walk the stairs, my legs don't function enough to walk them right now".

My voice was a little harsh; I intended it to be more like joking. Oh well, I guess we can't have everything we wish for. Ginny just shrugged and came to the elevator. It arrived just a few seconds later and took us to the fifth floor. I unlocked the door and went inside. I walked straight to the couch and fell to it. I was so exhausted. Ginny followed just a few seconds later. She sat down on her knees by the couch and started to stroke my hair,

"I'm sorry Hermione. I put too much pressure on you today, with mum and George and everything. I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry".

She looked genuinely sorry, sitting on the floor apologizing. I sat up on the couch and patted the seat next to me, signalling for her to sit with me. She rose and sat down on the couch, keeping a few inches between us, just to be careful, not quite sure of how close I wanted her. I moved closer to her, first looking and her, then looking at my hands in my lap before I asked her, with a low voice, barely audible;

"Ginny? Can you please hold me? I just need someone to hold me right now",

She just nodded, putting both her arms around me and cradling me in her arms. It felt good. It made me want to kiss her, but I fought the sudden surge. It was too soon yet. I took a deep breath,

"It wasn't you who pressured me; you just asked and made sure I could decline. I was the one who accepted everything. I just pushed my limits way further than I would expect myself to do today. I just feel a little exhausted right now. I mean, you haven't been around for even a week yet, and already I have a new job and I almost feel like a part if your family again. It's just a lot to take in. It all came so sudden, you know. But please don't think this is your fault. I brought this on myself all alone".

Ginny just kept holding me, she didn't say a word for a few minutes, considering what she said next, my best guess is that she was thinking of how to say what she said next,

"You know, Hermione, when you were gone, fighting Voldemort and all that, I always had nightmares about you. About how they brought the news of you being captured and tortured to madness before you got killed. Always something like that. I would wake up several times a night, crying. Then I would fall asleep again, just to have the same nightmare all over again. Every night from the night you left until the night you got back. I knew you were safe, then. But of course, those nightmares were only replaced by new nightmares. Nightmares of what I said to you that night. My last year at Hogwarts was awful, I hardly spoke to anyone; I just studied, played quidditch, ate and slept. I had no desire to spend time with people talking about the war; one reason was because I was fighting in the battle of Hogwarts, but mostly because everyone was always talking about you and how the three of you saved the world. You are a hero, you know. You and Harry and Ron. And when I first spoke with other people outside giving quidditch instructions at practice, they always asked me about the three of you since they all knew how I knew you and everything, or they would ask me to tell about the last battle. I hated it, but what I hated the most, was not having you there to help me through it. I know that is all my fault, I could have pulled my head out of my ass and written back to you, but I guess I was just too angry at you for leaving me for so long and never writing me to let me know you were safe. Well, alive, at least. I guess you never really were safe out there. I know it was selfish, and I always knew you couldn't, even if you wanted to, but still, I kept hoping, wishing. I think that is part if the reason to why I told you off. I wish I never had done that. I keep thinking of all the time we lost, all the time we could have had together, but lost because I'm such an idiot. I am so sorry, Hermione".

She was on the edge of crying now, tears were filling her eyes. I sat up again to face her properly. I lifted my hand and wiped away a tear that had escaped. I pulled her closer to me and embraced her, soothing her while she silently sobbed into my chest. We sat like that that for a few moments while I decided how to say my next words,

"Ginny, this is all part of the past. Yes, you did hurt me, but you are here now, and that's what matter. We can work through this together and figure everything out. Yes, it will take time to heal the wounds, but together we can do it. And do you know why?"

She just shook her head, still sobbing,

"Because we love each other. At least I know I love you, I can't say you love me, but I think you do. At least enough to work this through. You loved me enough to come back, and that's all I need. Yes, it will probably take a lifetime to work through everything, but we can do it. We have each other, and that's all we need, right love?"

She nodded. I suspect she couldn’t speak at the moment, but the look in her eyes told me everything I needed to know, she loves me. Despite everything, she loves me. Moments later she had regained her voice and spoke in a husky tone,

"I love you, Hermione. More than you can ever know. I always loved you, and I always will, no matter what. You are everything I ever needed or wanted. I know I don't deserve your love because of all I said and did to you. I have no right to expect you to love me back. I know I'm lucky to be here with you, to have a chance to fix my mistakes, and I will never forget that, you will always be a reminder of what I did, and I deserve that".

I sighed,

"Ginny love, I'm really happy you are back and all, but don't put yourself down like that. Yes, you hurt me, but it's the past now. What matters is the present. We are together now, and you have all the future to make it up to me".

Ginny looked stunned, and I just had to giggle,

"I'm just joking, Ginny. You don't have to make it up to me. Really. Just promise to never leave me again, alright?"

Ginny laughed through her tears,

"I promise. I'm here to stay, now. I swear".

I put my forehead to hers and put one of my hands at the back of her head, holding her there. Tears was falling from the both of us now, a mix of happy and sad tears. We looked into each other's eyes. A voice inside my head told me to kiss her, it was the right time. She must have been thinking the same thing, because she moved slightly forward, our lips were almost touching now. Her breath was tickling my lips. This was the right thing to do, I was sure. I closed the distance and we finally met. Her lips felt soft like silk on mine. Her tongue soon touched my lips, asking for entrance, and I willingly gave it to her. Her tongue was careful as she entered my mouth and began to dance with mine. This was the right thing, I was sure. The kiss became more urgent and I could feel one of my hands gripping around fistfuls of hair and the other one was wrapping itself around her waist. Her hands were innocently laid in my lap at first, but all of a sudden, I felt them wrapping around me, pulling me tighter to her. I didn't resist at this. This was where I belonged, in her arms, and she in mine, I knew that for sure. She pushed me down to the couch, placing herself on top of me. She let a moan slip through into my mouth. God, how I had been longing to hear that sound from her. I suddenly realized where this was leading, and I sure as hell weren't ready for that yet. The moment she broke for a second of air, I grabbed my chance before this got completely out of hand. I moaned her name and gently pushed her away before I sat up,

"Ginny, however much I enjoy this, I'm not sure if I'm ready for this yet. Right now my urges tell me to do all kinds of things to you right here, right now, but my head tells me not to. I want to do this the right way. I don't mean waiting until we are married and all, but just until I'm sure I won't lose you again. I just don't want to get attached to you again, and then lose you once more. That kind of pain, I would never be able to handle. I'm sorry, Ginny. Please don't be angry with me".

I was practically begging her, she looked a little hurt, but she nodded, agreeing to what I was saying.

I was a little hurt about what she said, but I couldn't really blame her, of course she was a little insecure about me right now. I had only been back a few days and already I was on top of her, but she didn't seem angry, and that was relief, still, I was the happiest woman on earth now.

The kiss had not been just a kiss, but a promise of something more, a promise of a future. The thought of a future with Hermione made me smile. She looked confused, so I spoke,

"I'm just thinking of a future with you, imagining how wonderful it will be",  
Her eyes widened. Why? What did I say? Shoot, I said will, not would. Shit, shit, shit. That wasn't good,

"Will?",

She asked, looking slightly confused. I decided to act confident,

"Yes. I want to spend my life with you, and you know, Hermione Jean Granger, I get what I want",  
I winked at her to signal to her I was joking about the last part there. She raised an eyebrow at me and crossed her arms over her chest,

"Really now, Ginerva Molly Weasly? And who says you can have me? What if I change my mind and don't want to spend my life with you?"

I raised an eyebrow too,

”Oh, you wouldn't change your mind,"

Hermione smiled,

"And why is that, dear Ginny?"

I leaned forward and whispered in her ear,

"Because nobody can resist the charm of Ginerva Molly Weasly",

I leaned back and gave her a flirting look,

"Is that so?",

She said. I had big troubles keeping my face straight and to not jump her right then and there,

"Oh yes, Hermione, that is very much so. And if you don't believe me, I will have to convince you, and that could be rather unpleasant for you, you know".

She uncrossed her arms, getting ready to defend herself,

"Oh really now? You know what, Ginny? I think it's all talk and no action with you, so I'm not really that worried, to be honest",

Her voice was mocking. Oh, that's it, she is so going down. I jumped at her, and she squealed, I was hovering over her, using one of my arms to pin both of hers above her head. 

Thank god quidditch required strong arms, and I used my other hand to tickle her. She screamed for me to stop, but hell if I were, she totally had it coming for teasing me like that.

I tickled her for a while, and her voice was getting hoarse after all the screaming and laughing. I let go of her hands and just laughed. She pushed me away, I expected that much, but her next move took me completely off guard, instead of doing nothing more, she pushed me so I was lying on my back now with her hovering over me, I just smiled.  
She pinned my arms over my head just like I had done to her moments ago. I know I could easily have broken her grip, but why would I want to do that? She gave me a seductive smile, and I just waited for her to start tickling me, instead she just said;

"The revenge is a dish best served cold, dear,” 

She paused for a second,

”Well, more like hot, this time",

Her words had me confused. What was she talking about? She leaned forward and whispered in my ear,

"Do you really think I don't know what I'm doing to you, miss Weasly?"

Oh god, her voice was enough to make me shiver.

"That's what I thought", she whispered smugly. She kissed my neck, and that made me shiver again. I could feel her smile against me, but she just continued, occasionally with a light bite. God, she was really making me hot now.

I let out a repressed moan and bit my lip. She placed her free hand at my waist. Oh God, I needed her now. This was just too much for me to handle. Suddenly she rose from the couch and patted my waist,

"It's time to cook. It's been hours since we ate anything, and you must be starving. I know I am".

I groaned, but stood up too,

"Bloody tease",

I muttered under my breath, thinking she didn't hear me. I was wrong,

"Oh, no. Not really. You made your bed, now you have to sleep in it too",

She just grinned. Great, a bed. Like that would take my mind off things. I glared at her, but she completely ignored it, grabbing my hand and dragged me to the kitchen. I hadn't even thought about food. I was too busy with other things.

She spent about an hour and a half cooking the pizza thing. She showed me what ingredients we needed to put in, and patiently answered all my questions about all the different electrical equipment we used.

All the weird stuff muggles invent to make life simpler for them. It will never stop to amaze me. After a while the pizza was finally finished and ready to be served. We sat the table together while the pizza was in the oven. We even lit some candles. It looked quite romantic. I admired the table and smiled. Hermione gave me a wondering look,

"It just looks so romantic, with the candles and everything".  
Hermione walked over to stand behind me, she wrapped her arms around me and rested her head on my shoulder,

"I know. It may be the first, but it won't be the last".

I smiled at her statement, it wasn't the last one. I had more to come, we had more to come. We had all our life ahead of us, and nobody could stop us. This was our time.

She kissed my neck and interrupted my train of thought, somehow my mind stopped working when her lips met a part of me. Even back in Hogwarts that had happened, she could casually brush her lips against my fingers, the top of my head or something, just to soothe me if I was upset about something, even then my mind would stop working, no matter what.

A touch of her lips, and everything was forgotten. I turned to her as she was letting go of me and smiled, but instead of letting her walk away, I wrapped my arms around her neck, her hands found their way to my waist, resting them there. I looked her in the eyes, quietly asking for her approval. I saw something in there that told me to kiss her, and I did.

This kiss was even more careful than the last one, if that's even possible. Her lips parted slightly, inviting me inside, I slipped my tongue inside and started some kind of a slow dance with hers. I pulled away for air a few seconds later; as I pulled away I felt her teeth on my bottom lip, carefully nibbling at it. I smiled at this move. It felt good. She smiled to, and a second later she turned her back to me and walked out to the kitchen. My eyes were still closed as she moved away. About three seconds later I began to function again and followed her. She was about to take the pizza out of the oven and put it on the bench when I arrived. I leaned in over her and smelled,

"Mm. Smells delicious",

I sniffed the air again,

"The food smells good too",

I smirked at her as she turned around and pushed me away playfully with a smile,

"You're such a flirt. Now move. I have to slice it up so you can shove it down your throat without choking".

I gave her a mock glare, and stuck my tongue out to her. Before I even knew what was going on, she had launched herself at me and bit my tongue. I quickly pulled it back into my mouth and stole a kiss from her. I don't think she expected it, because suddenly she pulled away and looked at me with one raised eyebrow. I shrugged innocently,

"What? You jumped me and bit me, I just removed my tongue. Can't blame me for you having your lips there".

I winked at her, she just pushed me away playfully again and went back to the pizza.

30 minutes later we sat by the table, both full beyond our limits, and I thought I didn't have a limit,

"Wow. This was delicious, Hermione. Even better than that take-home we ate yesterday",

she smiled at me,

"Told you so. We should do this more often",

She groaned before she continued,

"Well, maybe not eat this much, but eat together".

This was great. We were making progress, and hopefully soon things would move on. First goal was to get her to visit at the Burrow and meet up with the rest of the family again. I made myself a goal to get her to celebrate Christmas with us. The holidays were still a couple of months away. I had plenty of time. I nodded at her,

"That would be wonderful. How about we have homemade dinner with each other each Friday? The team needs to rest before Saturday games anyways, so I have the whole day off. 

We can share the cooking, you when we are here, and I'll cook for you at my place every other Friday. How about that?"  
She thought about it for a moment before she nodded,

"Alright. You have yourself a deal there. Next Friday at your place, you are cooking. This should be interesting".

I gave her a mock glare,

"I'll have you know that I'm actually a very good cook. Mum taught me cooking before I was allowed to leave".

She giggled,

"I guess I'll find out next Friday, then".

I stuck out my tongue again. No attack this time. We cleaned the table and she wrapped the leftovers in, she turned towards me,

"I know you're not leaving for a couple of hours yet, but before I forget, would you like to take this with you? You could let the others have a taste too. I'm sure they will enjoy it",

I nodded. I knew Ron and George would love this, well, Ron wouldn't get any this time, but I would stop by George and let him have a taste on my way home later tonight. Dad would be thrilled, just because it was a muggle dish, and mum, she would ask for the recipe, even if she didn't like it herself, just because one of us liked it. I let the leftovers be at the kitchen bench until it was time to leave.

We went back to the living room, I sat down at the couch, Hermione stood at the floor, looking at me,

"Would you like to watch a movie?",

I was confused, watch a what?

"Uhm. Sure, sure. It doesn't hurt, right?"

Hermione giggled,

"No, it doesn't hurt, I promise. It's hard to explain what it is. I'll get one started, and you can see for yourself. You'll enjoy it, I'm sure. Just sit back, and I'll take care of it".  
She somehow got the thing started. She said it was a movie named "Alice in Wonderland", she said she thought I would enjoy this one. It was one of her favourite movies, and had been for as long as she could remember.

Hermione joined me at the couch, she sat down closer to me than I would have expected her to do, she was only a few inches away from me. I looked at her as she sat down and smiled at her. I was excited about this thing, it was almost like pictures, only this one was sort of like a story, more like a book in a picture form. It was fun. Muggles can be so inventive when they don't have magic to help them. I had to show dad one of these someday, he would go through the roof with excitement.

We had only been watching that movie thing for about 15 minutes when I noticed Hermione started to move. Was she going somewhere? No, she just moved a little further away from me. This gave me a moment of disappointment. She seemed a little tense because she didn't sit back right away, she looked thoughtful for a moment before she spoke,

"Mind if I rest my head in your lap? I prefer to lie down while watching a movie at home, you see".  
Relief. I lifted the hand that was resting in my lap and smiled at her,

"Go ahead, I don't mind",

She smiled and lay down. She was on her back with her head turned towards the movie. I put my hand on the back of the couch, the other one was resting against the armrest. I sat like this, more interested in watching Hermione in my lap, than the movie. Only a few moments passed before she broke her gaze away from the movie and began to scowl at me. What did I do wrong now? She scowled at me like that for a few moments; I think she expected me to take some kind of a hint. She gave up, sighed and grabbed the arm that was resting on the back of the couch and laid it to rest on her stomach. I just smiled down at her and automatically began to stroke her. It just felt weird to let the hand just lie   
there.

By the end of the movie, she sat curled in my lap, I was holding my arms around her and she was crying. I tried to figure out why, but decided to wait for her to tell me, and just hold her until then. When the movie ended, she dried her tears and I asked her what was wrong,

"It's nothing, really. I always cry at the end of this movie, I always hope that just this once she will stay there and never go back to the real world".

This had me confused,

"Why don't you just change the movie, then? There’s people there, can’t you just tell her not to go back?"

She laughed at me. Now what?

"You can't change the movie. Once it's on the disk, you can't change it".

This was even more confusing,

"Then why do you keep hoping for it to change?"

She giggled, and then she sighed as she wrapped her arms around my neck, still sitting in my lap,

"It's a muggle thing. But I will try to explain it to you some day. I just have to figure out how first".

I nodded. This world was too confusing, but I wanted to learn about it because it was Hermione's world as well as the wizarding world. She belonged in both. She glanced at the time,

"When do you have to leave?"

I thought about it for a second,

"I should leave no later than 11. I have to get up early and get ready for the game and all. It starts at nine. I should be there at the latest by 7:30",

I pouted. I was no fan of mornings, but I loved quidditch too much. She jumped from my lap and ran to her room, as she came running back she laughed at my confused look before she finally explained the sudden rush,

"You promised to help me with magic, remember? Me all freaking out at George's, you all "I'll be the hero and save you", remember?"

I had completely forgotten about it, I had been too caught up in the present all night, with all the kisses, and talking and food and everything to think about anything else. I just nodded. Hermione raised an eyebrow, she knew I had forgotten, but she just laughed at me and signalled for me to come towards her. I stood up and went to where she was standing, next to the balcony door,

"Now, I'm really nervous about this, so I need a few moments outside before we begin".

I nodded and followed her outside. The fresh, cool air felt good in my lungs and against my face. I took a few deep breaths and just enjoyed it.

A few minutes later, we went back inside. I pulled out my wand while she took a few deep breaths to prepare herself for what came next.


End file.
